Related articles: Cystic Fibrosis
Definition
Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease that alters the function of the exocrine glands of the organism, that is, those glands that discharge their secretion outside, such as pancreas, sweat gland, salivary, intestinal and bronchial glands. In the presence of cystic fibrosis the secretion of these glands becomes particularly rich in a thick mucus, which prevents the normal flow of the secretion; it is thus possible to have obstructive glandular phenomena, with symptoms such as intestinal disorders (due to the lack of pancreatic enzymes, dryness of the enteric content, with a tendency to steatorrhea and intestinal obstruction) and bronchial (development of dilatations called bronchiectasis, greater susceptibility to respiratory infections such as bronchitis and sinusitis); moreover, the presence of a rather dense vaginal mucus reduces the fertility of the woman affected by cystic fibrosis.
The symptoms of cystic fibrosis are therefore quite numerous, below are the most common and characteristic ones; it is precisely the simultaneous presence of multi-level symptoms that suggest the hypothesis of cystic fibrosis, which is often evident since birth due to the presence of meconium ileus and reduced weight gain.
Most common symptoms and signs *
- Respiratory acidosis
- Halitosis
- Pulmonary atelectasis
- Catarrh
- Bad digestion
- Conati
- Abdominal cramps
- Diarrhea
- Yellow Diarrhea
- Dysphagia
- Dyspnoea
- Drumstick fingers
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal pain on palpation
- Muscle pains
- hemoptysis
- Temperature
- I made clear
- Shortness of breath
- Glycosuria
- Abdominal swelling
- Hyperglycemia
- infertility
- Hyponatremia
- Sore throat
- Functional Meteorism
- Nausea
- Weight loss
- pneumothorax
- Rectal prolapse
- Acquagenic Itching
- Cold
- rales
- Hoarseness
- Wheezing breath
- Reduction of respiratory noise
- Growth delay
- Blood in Saliva
- steatorrhea
- tachypnoea
- Barrel chest
- Cough
- He retched
Further indications
The stagnation of dense material in the airways compromises the protective action of the mucociliary clearance (the abundant mucus secretion in the respiratory tree lubricates the inner surface of the airways and traps germs, inhaled foreign substances and other waste materials; thank you to the coordinated action of millions of eyelashes, this mucus acts as a transporter of unwanted substances to the outside, hindering their descent into the pulmonary alveoli, where they could become the cause of disease). For this reason, respiratory infections and their symptoms represent one of the most common complications of cystic fibrosis. The therapy is substantially symptomatic and involves the administration of pancreatic enzymes, vaccines, antibiotics and mucolytics in the prevention and treatment of secondary infections. Gene therapies will appear on the therapeutic scene in the coming years.
