Recently someone i know got RSV in their right lung and they already have cystic fibrosis. He is only 8 months old.
And also now his brother got RSV. He is about 1 year or 2 old.

The first one is already at Akron Childrens Hospital. He was lifeflighted there and his brother will soon have to be taken to the ER.

Can you fill me in on what is happening with RSV?

Cystic fibrosis is a potentially fatal genetic disorder that affects large numbers of people worldwide. The condition involves the failure of a particular gene to be expressed, known as the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. The failure to express this gene results in the failure of the normal secretion processes, and affects the lungs and pancreas in particular.

Effects of Pancreatic Problems

The pancreas is connected to the digestive tract by means of a duct, and it produces important digestive enzymes that travel through that passage into the duodenum. These pancreatic enzymes are essential for the proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. With cystic fibrosis, however, the pancreatic ducts are blocked, preventing the digestive enzymes from reaching the small intestine.

Also, the thickened secretions harm the pancreas itself, often causing irreparable damage. Beyond a certain extent, the organ will fail entirely, resulting in organ failure and followed soon by death if proper treatment is not forthcoming.

The blocking of the passage leading from the pancreas to the digestive tract leads to malabsorption. This is due to the inability of the digestive tract to break down and assimilate certain important nutrients and minerals without the digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas. Protein and fat in particular can’t be broken down and are not absorbed into the body. Malabsorption is followed by malnutrition, where the body does not get all of the minerals, nutrients, and other compounds that it requires in order to function properly. Younger patients usually suffer from normal growth rates and adults look often thin.

In addition, the disorder may also cause irreparable damage to the islets of Langerhans, which are glands responsible for the production of insulin. Once damaged, the lack of insulin leads to diabetes in patients.

Treatment Options

As mentioned, the only treatment for blocked enzyme release consists of taking pancreatic enzymes with food, especially fat and protein rich food.

Treatment of diabetes caused by cystic fibrosis usually involves injections of insulin, which is nothing more than an attempt to manage the symptoms of the condition. In patients where the genetic disorder has damaged too much of the pancreas, the only treatment option available to patients is an organ transplant in order for the body to continue functioning.

The one treatment method that shows potential to actually cure cystic fibrosis is known as gene therapy. This method of treatment actually involves replacing incorrect genes with correct genes, thereby resolving the problem. Gene therapy has yet to be fully tested, however, and scientists still struggle to find an effective method of inserting the correct copies of genes into the affected cells. Until gene therapy becomes a viable solution, treatment of pancreatic problems simply involves holding off the effects of the disease and keeping the patient healthy for as long as possible, with no hope of curing it.

By: Didier De Coster

About the Author:

[carpwp:amazon{cystic fibrosis}][/carpwp]

www.cafepress.com Cystic fibrosis (also known as CF, mucovoidosis, or mucoviscidosis) is a hereditary disease affecting the exocrine (mucus) glands of the lungs, liver, pancreas, and intestines, causing progressive disability due to multisystem failure. Thick mucus production results in frequent lung infections. Diminished secretion of pancreatic enzymes is the main cause of poor growth, fatty diarrhea, and deficiency in fat-soluble vitamins. Males can be infertile due to the condition congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens. Often, symptoms of CF appear in infancy and childhood. Meconium ileus is a typical finding in newborn babies with CF. Individuals with cystic fibrosis can be diagnosed prior to birth by genetic testing. Newborn screening tests are increasingly common and effective (although false positives may occur, and children need to be brought in for a sweat test to distinguish disease vs carrier status). The diagnosis of CF may be confirmed if high levels of salt are found during a sweat test, although some false positives may occur. There is no cure for CF, and most individuals with cystic fibrosis die young: many in their 20s and 30s from lung failure. However, with the continuous introduction of many new treatments, the life expectancy of a person with CF is increasing to ages as high as 40 or 50. Lung transplantation is often necessary as CF worsens.

Neither of your parents has cystic fibrosis, but your cousin, with whom you share a set of grandparents, does. How can you determine if you are a carrier (exclude having a child with a carrier or an individual with cystic fibrosis)?

a) plasmid analysis
b) karyotyping
c) RFLP analysis
d) gene cloning
e) the only way to find out if you are a carrier is to produce and see if any children exhibit cystic fibrosis

I believe it is C but want to confirm it. Thanks tons!

I have to do a report for school. It has to be on a disease which causes early death, such as cystic fibrosis. What others diseases cause early death?

A person who inherits only one copy of allele will be unaffected, however if two such people have a child the child could inherit two copies of allele…..
Cc
Cc
Key: C normal allele/c disease allele

1. A healthy man and a healthy woman have a child who has cystic fibrosis. Identify the genotypes for this trait for both parents and for their child.
2. This man and woman want another child. Calculate the probability that the second child would have cystic fibrosis.
3. Calculate the probability that a third child would have cystic fibrosis.
4. More serious genetic diseases are caused by recessive alleles then by dominant alleles. Explain why this is the case.

I know how to make a punnett square, i just don’t know how to calculate the probabilities, im not sure what a genotype is

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is powered by the work of dedicated volunteers. Through their fundraising, CF patients are enjoying longer, healthier lives. But some CF patients are still dying before their time. This video is a call to volunteers to strengthen their commitment to fight CF.

Here is a list of symptoms that I read:
Belly pains
coughing a lot
increased mucus in the sinuses, throat, or lungs
delayed growth
fatigue
recurrent respiratory infections
weight loss or failure to gain weight during childhood
I’m afraid that I have it because I’m always tired (fatigue), I’m one of the shortest people in my class (delayed growth), I cough all the time, and my throat feels slimy, like its covered in mucus. Also, I eat lots of sugar and fat and junk food, so I should be really fat, but I wear a size 8 in pants, and most of my pants are too big. So, I can’t gain weight. Really, I can’t. I also have trouble breathing sometimes, and I’m very susceptible to colds and other respiratory infections, even in the summer. I’m just scared that I have cystic fibrosis, because I heard it results in a shorter lifetime. My next doctor’s appointment is coming up, and I was wondering if I should talk to them about this. Can someone please help me?

I have Cystic Fibrosis. Recently i became interested in becoming a vegan, my mother doesn’t think it would be ok at all because she says it couldn’t provide me with enough nutrition and I have a hard time keeping enough weight on now even by eating meat and such and eating large meals. Does anyone know if actually could be ok to do? Can my mother be proven wrong? Is there a way I could be vegan and still get enough nutrition? I’m a teenager.

well, i am not sure yet. the dic called me yesterday to get her blood taken again to confirm that she has it. she sounds congested all the time and wheezes alot, i am worried that if she doesn’t get treatment soon she might not make it. what are her chances?