Cystic Fibrosis
Could you Imagine what it would be like if you had a disorder that clogged and blocked the passageways in your body? Well there is a disease that does this very same thing, and it’s called Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes your body to produce a thick and sticky mucus. No, the disease isn’t the mucus being produced, it’s the mucus being thick and sticky. This mucus is supposed to be thin and watery, so it can act like a lubricant and help protect your bodies organs and passageways. This very terrible disease was discovered in 1938 by Dr. Dorothy Andersen, she referred to the disease as “Cystic Fibrosis of the Pancreas”. The name “Cystic Fibrosis” comes from the fibrous scar tissue that develops in your pancreas, which is one
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But what causes this disease? The production of the thick and sticky mucus occurs because of a mutations in a gene on chromosome 7. Cystic Fibrosis happens because of mutations in the gene that makes a protein called CFTR or “Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator”. Cystic Fibrosis patients either produce uncommon CFTR protein or no CFTR protein at all. This mutation causes your body to make a thick and sticky mucus, instead of the thin and watery mucus that your body needs to function efficiently and healthy. You’re probably asking yourself why this is such a big deal? Well, this mucus is supposed to act like a lubricant for your body’s organs and passageways, so if the mucus is thick and sticky it can’t lubricate anything! This mucus is kinda like car oil, it’s extremely important for the function of a vehicle’s engine! It’s basically the same thing! Over time, this mucus clogs your passageways which eventually leads to infections. Because of this, the average lifespan for a Cystic Fibrosis patient is sadly around 37-38 years