Treatment Options For Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a recessive inherited condition that mainly affects the lungs, digestive system, and the exocrine glands. Malfunctioning genes cause the vital secretions produced by these organs to be thickened. These secretions normally have a much thinner consistency. This abnormal mucus clogs airways and other passageways, causing symptoms like coughing, wheezing, lung infections, salty sweat, failure to gain weight normally, intestinal blockage, and severe constipation. Cystic fibrosis cannot be transmitted to others, nor can it be cured. Patient life expectancy is limited. Most individuals with this disease do not live much beyond forty years.