EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CYSTIC FIBROSIS

Does your child have salty sweat or skin? Or does the child is not gaining weight like the kids around? Is he /she has a cough and Diarrhoea every other day? Then you need to check with your Doctor for Cystic Fibrosis.

What is Cystic Fibrosis and what causes it?

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease, which affects more than 30,000 people in the US. It affects the cells in the body that make up the sweat, digestive fluids, and mucus. These are usually very thin and flowy but with Cystic Fibrosis, they become very thick and sticky and thus they block the tubes inside the body. The infected inherit a copy of the gene from their parents. If only one gene is inherited then there will be no symptoms but he/she will be a carrier of the disease. 

This disease affects the:

• Lungs
• Pancreas
• Liver
• Small and Large Intestine
• Bladder
• Kidneys
• Reproductive organs

You need to consult a doctor immediately if you detect the following Cystic Fibrosis Symptoms in your child:

Respiratory Symptoms

• Continuous cough with thick sputum
• Heavy breathing
• Lung Infection
• Easily tired after exercising
• Running and stuffy nose
• Wheezing

Digestive Symptoms

• No weight gain and growth
• Constipation
• Small and large intestine blockage
• Unpleasant smelling stool

The thick mucus blocks the passage in between the pancreas and small intestine. Therefore, without the digestive enzymes, the intestine cannot absorb all the nutrients from the food, which results in poor growth of the body. Parents should consult a specialist knowledgeable about Cystic Fibrosis.

Diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis

Usually, doctors carry out a blood test to check for the disease and generic test checks whether the child has a defected CFTR gene. Other tests performed are

• Immunoreactive Trypsinogen (IRT) Test- This test checks for an abnormal level of IRT in the blood. The IRT should be low for no Cystic Fibrosis.
• Sweat Chloride Test- This checks for the level of salt in the sweat. A chemical is used which makes the skin sweat and then the sweat is collected on a paper for further analysis.
• Chest X-ray- This checks for swelling in the lungs.

You can get more details about various other diagnostic tests and medication and symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis and about many other diseases in children at Nutrition4kids. They offer expert guidance and advice about various disorders, eating habits, breastfeeding and much more. 

Visit the website http://www.nutrition4kids.com for more information.

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