Cystic Fibrosis- Sammy Kim

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis is inherited when chromosome 7 (called CFTR) contains a defective gene. If both parents which contain Cystic Fibrosis or are carriers of the disease pass the flawed gene onto their child, then the child will be affected with Cystic Fibrosis. If the child only inherited one of the flawed gene, then the child will be called a carrier which is not affected with the disease, but it can possibly be passed down and affected on their children. When people is affected with this disease, they have symptoms such as: coughing, a salty-tasting skin, weight loss, and a lot more. They also have thick mucous clogs in the airways for the lungs which rises the chance of having an infection. This happens because the protein produced by this gene helps salt move in and out of the cells, but without it the lungs will be clogged up with thick and sticky mucous. People with Cystic Fibrosis can be detected by the excessive amount of salt in their sweat and also by taking a sample of their blood. There is no cure for this genetic disorder, but there are a few treatments which makes the people with the disease live longer. The treatments for it are repeatedly hitting the back to free up the mucous in the chest, inhaled antibiotics which keep the airways open and resist the infection in the lungs, and gene therapy (When a healthy chromosome 7 is placed into the lung cells of the person with the disease to fix the defective gene). Cystic Fibrosis is most common with the white people population in the United States. It is said that it is found in 2,500 to 3,500 White newborns in one year. There are about 30,000 people in the United States which is affected by Cystic Fibrosis. The average life expectancy for someone with Cystic Fibrosis is around 30 years old.

(HERE IS A PICTURE OF A CHROMOSOME 7 WHICH CONTAINS A DEFECTIVE GENE).