Knowing Cystic Fibrosis symptoms at the earliest possible time is the best way to treat the disease. Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary condition affecting the pancreas, lungs and other organs including the digestive tract, liver, nose and sinuses, reproductive glands and even sweat glands.
Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that was not given so much attention. In the U.S. there are about 30,000 children and adults who have CF, according to Medical News Today while in U.K., one in every 2,500 babies is born with CF.
Cystic Fibrosis Symptoms can vary greatly from person-to-person. As it is an autosomal recessive disorder, one can get CF by inheriting two cystic fibrosis genes, one from the mother and another from the father.
What are Cystic Fibrosis symptoms?
As Cystic Fibrosis symptoms are different from one person to another, the extent of severity can also vary. It can be mild at times and can be more severe at certain time.
Cystic Fibrosis symptoms affect many parts of the body- digestive, respiratory, or reproductive.
Respiratory:
NIH reported that people with CF have sticky, thick mucus that accumulates and blocks the airways. Because of the accumulation of the mucus, bacteria have better environment to thrive and multiply. This then leads to many infections that obstruct the airways leading to coughing thick sputum.
Cystic Fibrosis symptoms affecting the lungs cause unrelenting cough with lots of sputum, shortness of breath, wheezing, and chronic chest infections.
Digestive:
In CF, mucus does not only block the respiratory system, but also the ducts and tubes to the pancreas. Since there is barrier, the digestive enzyme needed for proper absorption of nutrients does not reach the intestines.
Cystic Fibrosis symptoms distressing the digestive system include diarrhea or constipation, foul-smelling, greasy stools, bloated abdomen and malnutrition according to Patient.
Ears, Nose and Sinuses
Cystic Fibrosis symptoms can extend to ears, nose and sinuses. NHS reported that people with CF tend to develop sinusitis and nasal polyps that can be treated with nasal sprays, antibiotics, steroid nose drops or can be operated.
Reproductive
Cystic Fibrosis symptoms can affect the tubes that carry the sperm and the egg cells so it results to infertility. Women with CF find it hard to conceive and have irregular menstrual cycles.
Skeletal
Cystic Fibrosis symptoms can also affect the bones and joints. Older children can develop arthritis and thinning of bones resulting to recurring joint pain and fractured bones.
Other Cystic Fibrosis symptoms can extend to imbalance of minerals in the blood and sweat glands. CF causes perspiration to be very salty leading to dehydration, weakness, decreased blood pressure, increased heart rate, fatigue and in unusual cases, death.
Diabetes is one serious Cystic Fibrosis symptoms that results from damaged pancreas.
