Cystic Fibrosis Research Paper

Abnormal Anatomy and Physiology: In cystic fibrosis the CFTR gene does not produce the chloride pump protein, so water cannot move into the mucus making it very thick and sticky. This abnormally thick mucus builds up in passageways causing obstructions and harboring bacteria that cause infections, especially in the lungs and the pancreas. In the lungs this thick mucus leads to difficulty breathing and because of the bacteria that gets trapped and stuck in the mucus that lines the lungs people with cystic fibrosis suffer from bacterial infections of the lungs. Eventually, with recurring infections and mucus buildup cystic fibrosis will cause permanent lung damage. In the pancreas the tubes that carry digestive enzymes to the intestines …show more content…
Some respiratory signs and symptoms to watch for is wheezing, a persistent cough that produces thick mucus, breathlessness, exercise intolerance, repeated respiratory infections, or inflamed nasal passages or a stuffy nose (mayoclinic.org). Some digestive signs and symptoms are foul-smelling greasy stools, poor weight gain and growth, severe constipation or intestinal blockage (mayoclinic.org). Also, salty tasting sweat is a sign of cystic fibrosis due to abnormal sodium levels in sweat. There are three different tests done to diagnose cystic fibrosis, one is a blood test done on newborns to test for a protein called trypsinogen which is higher in people with CF. The second is a sweat test, CF affects the body’s ability to reabsorb sodium from sweat after it is brought to the surface of the skin, giving people with cystic fibrosis abnormally high levels of sodium in their sweat therefore, testing sodium levels in sweat is one way to test for the disease. Third, is a genetic test can be performed to test for the abnormal CFTR gene that is affected by cystic