WHAT IS CYSTIC FIBROSIS?

Cystic Fibrosis is a life-threatening disease that affects 100,000 people Worldwide, for which there is not yet a cure.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems. A build-up of thick mucus in the lungs makes it difficult to clear infectious bacteria that damage the delicate lung tissues, and make it very difficult to breath. People with CF must follow a time-intensive routine of physical therapy to keep the lungs free of congestion and infection. Overtime if a person with CF is not able to affectively clear their airways through their therapy regiment, the mucus will continue to clog their lungs, causing their breathing ability to diminish, unfortunately resulting in fatality. In the digestive system, the thick mucus makes it almost impossible to digest and absorb adequate nutrients from food. Specifically, the mucus blocks the ducts of the pancreas, which prevents necessary enzymes from reaching the intestines to breakdown food. Overall, CF patients must consume a large number of artificial enzymes in the form of pills, with every meal and snack, to help them absorb enough nutrition from their food.

Symptoms

    Symptoms of cystic fibrosis include:
    Severe difficulty breathing;
    constant cough attempting to get rid of thick mucus;
    excessive appetite with an inability to gain weight;
    bowel disturbances;
    salty tasting skin;
    repeated or prolonged bouts of pneumonia;

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