Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis causes the body to produce thick secretions that particularly affect the lungs and digestive tract.
Symptoms of CF can include a troublesome cough, repeated chest infections, prolonged diarrhoea and poor weight gain. These symptoms are not unique to Cystic Fibrosis.
Cystic Fibrosis affects a number of organs.
Lungs
It is common for people with CF to encounter some difficulties with their lungs. A combination of
Digestive system
Cystic Fibrosis affects the pancreas, which makes it difficult for people with CF to digest food. This can cause
In older patients, insulin production can become deficient due to increasing pancreatic disease. Some develop CF related diabetes mellitus and their blood sugar levels are no longer controlled. This rarely happens to children with Cystic Fibrosis.
Common symptoms of diabetes include thirst, hunger, weight loss and excessive need to urinate, but some people do not show obvious symptoms of diabetes.
Other Affected Organs
In every ten babies born with CF, one is ill in the first few days of life with a bowel obstruction called meconium ileus. In these cases, the meconium (a thick black material present in the bowels of all newborn babies) is so thick that it blocks the bowel instead of passing through. Babies with meconium ileus often need an urgent operation to relieve and bypass the blockage.
People with CF are prone to developing bone disease (thin, brittle bones) due to the nutritional and other problems involved with the disease. Adults with CF are at an increased risk of bone disease because of the adverse effects of steroids taken to control lung disease.
Although Cystic Fibrosis does not cause sexual impotency, it can lead to fertility problems. In most men with CF, the tubes that carry sperm are blocked, which causes infertility. Because underweight women are more likely to have irregular menstrual cycles, the nutritional problems associated with CF may affect fertility. Women with CF do produce healthy, fertile eggs so effective contraception is necessary.
Cystic Fibrosis can cause the blockage of small ducts in the liver. This only happens to approximately 8% of people who have CF, but it is a serious health risk and may necessitate a liver transplant physiotherapy and medication can help control lung infections and prevent lung damage. To avoid the risk of cross-infection, it is recommended that people with CF do not come into close contact with others with Cystic Fibrosis.malnutrition, which can lead to poor growth, physical weakness and delayed puberty. There is medication that can compensate for the failure of the pancreas.
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