Cystic fibrosis, or CF is a congenital disease that affects the secretions produced by the body’s epithelial cells. They include sweat, saliva, digestive juices and tears. The disease makes these secretions viscous when they should be thin. Instead of lubricating the organs of the body, the secretions now clog them. The disease is caused by a defective gene. A person can be a carrier of the gene but not have the disease. However, if they have a child with another carrier, the child has a 25 percent chance of contracting CF. The following are symptoms of cystic fibrosis:
1. Chronic cough
This is a cough that does not go away or lasts for at least eight weeks in an adult and at least a month in children. With cystic fibrosis, the cough is the result of the secretions clogging the lungs. This type of cough can be so persistent that it can rob the patient of sleep. The exhaustion caused by this makes the cough even more painful. Sometimes the cough is violent enough to lead to vomiting, headache, urinary incontinence or faintness. Some children have even cracked ribs from the force of their chronic cough or suffered rectal prolapse. This happens when part of the rectum, the lower part of the large intestine, is forced out of the anus.
2. Coughing blood
Coughing up blood, or hemoptysis can be a complication of a chronic cough. Some patients with cystic fibrosis only cough up a small about of blood at a time, while in others the blood coughed up is massive. Massive hemoptysis means that the patient has coughed up more than 240 milliliters of blood in a 24 hour period or over 100 mL of blood a day over the course of a few days. It can be severe enough to threaten the patient’s life by causing their blood pressure to crash or causing them to choke on the blood. Doctors do not know why CF patients suffer from hemoptysis, though some believe that blood vessels in the lungs weakened by persistent inflammation are a cause.
3. Diarrhea
Diarrhea is loose, watery stool that is accompanied by bloating and abdominal cramps. The bowels may not be under the patient’s control, and sometimes the diarrhea is accompanied by fever and nausea. The diarrhea of cystic fibrosis is a result of the secretions interfering with the normal action of the pancreas. The enzymes produced by the pancreas can’t reach the patient’s intestines because of blockages. These enzymes help the body absorb proteins and fats. Without them, the patient is subject to diarrhea as well as stool that is especially bad-smelling, greasy and bulky.
4. Heartburn
Heartburn has nothing to do with the patient’s heart, even though some people believe they’re having a heart attack when they are having heartburn. It is caused when acid backflows from the stomach into the esophagus because the sphincter that closes the stomach has become lax. The symptoms are a burning sensation or a fairly sharp pain in the chest. In some cases, the contents of the stomach can back flow into the patient’s mouth and give them an acid taste in their mouth. They may have trouble swallowing and feel bloated and experience a mild abdomen pain.
5. Pulmonary hypertension
In pulmonary hypertension the pressure in the pulmonary artery which feeds the lungs rises to unhealthy levels. Doctors diagnose pulmonary hypertension when the pressure is over 25 millimeters of mercury when the patient is resting or 30 mm Hg when they’re exercising. This causes stress on the right ventricle of the heart. The ventricle responds by enlarging. This can lead to heart failure.
Patients who suffer from pulmonary hypertension have trouble catching their breath, are tired all the time, have fainting spells, chest pain and edema that spreads from their feet to their ankles and to their abdomen. Their skin may have a bluish color, and they may suffer from a rapid heartbeat or heart palpitations.
6. Wheezing
Wheezing is the whistling sound that can be heard when the person tries to breathe. It is a sign that the air passages in the lungs are constricted. In CF this is most likely because the thickened secretions in the lungs are making the bronchial tubes narrower than they should be. Inflammation may also contribute to the patient finding it hard to breathe. The wheezing may be accompanied by infections such as sinusitis, bronchitis and the chronic cough mentioned above. Wheezing is common in newborns who have cystic fibrosis.
7. Delayed development
Because CF makes it difficult for a child to use the nutrients in the foods they eat, delayed development is common in children with the disease. It is frustrating because there is often nothing wrong with the child’s appetite or diet. Yet, they can’t seem to gain weight or grow normally and are often smaller and less robust that other children. Because they can’t absorb calcium correctly, children with CF often have bones that are less dense and strong than they should be. They may also have anemia because of the inability to absorb iron well, and they lose a great deal of salt during hot weather and play. This puts them at risk for an electrolyte imbalance. The malnutrition children with CF suffer from also affects their ability to learn, and their disease may cause them to become depressed, anxious and socially withdrawn.
8. Fatigue
Another of the signs of cystic fibrosis is fatigue. Fatigue is not just being tired or sleepy, but it’s a persistent feeling of a lack of energy. People who are fatigued may also feel weak, as if they cannot perform tasks that should be effortless for them. Sometimes when they begin an activity they feel too tired to complete it. They may be too exhausted to begin an activity in the first place and have a hard time concentrating and remembering. Sleep does not refresh them, and they may suffer pains in their joints and muscles.
9. Pneumonia
The secretions in the patient’s lungs are a good environment for pathogens. This leads to infections, including pneumonia. Pneumonia occurs when the lungs become inflamed due to bacterial or viral infection. Fluid collects in the tiny air sacs in the lungs and makes it hard to breathe. The condition is made worse because the fluids secreted by a CF patient are thick. The symptoms of pneumonia are a very high fever, shortness of breath, a cough that produces bloody sputum, fatigue, chest pain that gets worse when the patient tries to breathe and fatigue. As the disease goes on the patient loses their appetite and loses weight. If they have viral pneumonia, they also have enlarged lymph glands in their neck.
