Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Zinc discovery holds promise for people with cystic fibrosis

University of Queensland researchers have identified an opportunity to reduce infections in people living with cystic fibrosis (CF). Professor Matt Sweet, Dr. Kaustav Das Gupta and Dr. James Curson from UQ's Institute for ...

Health informatics

Two-channel sensor measures biomarker concentration in sweat

Sensors applied to the skin hold promise for a non-invasive and low-cost method of identifying key biomarkers in sweat, which could help clinicians make earlier and more accurate diagnoses. Up until now, however, sensors ...

Health

Getting adequate vitamin D in the fall and winter

Vitamin D plays a large role in overall health, but it can be challenging to absorb sufficient levels—especially in the colder months. A Baylor College of Medicine expert provides tips on how to maintain your vitamin D ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Q&A: Testing the efficacy of new vaccines against enteroviruses

Marta Butrym from the Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM), at the department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH), is defending her thesis, "Novel vaccines and antiviral treatments for enterovirus induced infections and disease," ...

Genetics

Q&A: Understanding carrier screening for family planning

Dear Mayo Clinic: My husband and I want to expand our family and are trying to get pregnant with our first baby. I've read about family planning couples can do before conceiving and learned about carrier screening. We don't ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

1999 to 2020 saw decrease in cystic fibrosis-related mortality

Cystic fibrosis (CF)-related mortality rates declined and the median age of death among CF decedents increased in the United States from 1999 to 2020, according to a study published online Sept. 12 in Scientific Reports.

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Cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (also known as CF, mucovoidosis, or mucoviscidosis) is a genetic disorder known to be an inherited disease of the secretory glands, including the glands that make mucus and sweat.

The hallmarks of cystic fibrosis are salty tasting skin, normal appetite but poor growth and poor weight gain, excess mucus production, and coughing/shortness of breath. Males can be infertile due to the condition Congenital 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.

Although technically a rare disease, cystic fibrosis is ranked as one of the most widespread life-shortening genetic diseases. It is most common among nations in the Western world; one in twenty-two people of Mediterranean descent is a carrier of one gene for CF, making it the most common genetic disease in these populations.[citation needed] An exception is Finland, where only one in 80 people carry a CF mutation. In the United States, 1 in 4,000 children are born with CF. In 1997, about 1 in 3,300 caucasian children in the United States was born with cystic fibrosis. In contrast, only 1 in 15,000 African American children suffered from cystic fibrosis, and in Asian Americans the rate was even lower at 1 in 32,000.

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