Thursday, June 24, 2010

Cystic Fibrosis life expectancy longer than most thought

Diet is one big reason 
Cystic Fibrosis is at the top of search trends Thursday because it was found that the disease, in which the person suffering from it develops an ulcer in the pancreas, can be managed due to advances in treatment. Those advances have caused a larger group of people to live past age 40. 30,000 Americans and 70,000 people around the World have Cystic Fibrosis as of this writing.

According to the Associated Press, Cystic Fibrosis treatment include inhaled medications and a chest - vibrating vest to clear airway clogs. The Cystic Fibrosis disease causes a mucus to build up in the lungs, clogging them and leading to life-threatening infections. That same mucus also clogs the pancreas so the body can't properly digest food.

Cystic Fibrosis generally showed up in kids, who didn't make it to become adults. But what's happening now is that Cystic Fibrosis is showing up in people later in life. What's found is that proper care leads to longer life, but there's something the AP article does not address.

The impact of the non-smoking movement

Not discussed is the impact of the non-smoking movement on Cystic Fibrosis patients. It's wildly known that smoking can harm Cystic Fibrosis patients, but not talked about is the impact of the non-smoking movement and the attack on the spread of second-hand smoke.

Also not considered is the impact of the diet and vitamins movement. Also, exercise is an important consideration. Why those factors aren't mentioned in the AP article is a head-scratcher.

1 comment:

  1. My cousin died of Cystic Fibrosis when we were 13 (we were born 4 weeks apart, I was older). Even before he died, his diet was the cause of much worry, his mother simply didn't give him, or her other children, the best start in life be encouraging them to enjoy fresh fruit, fish or anything, really, that wasn't deep fried and covered in salt. I still blame her for my cousin's premature death.

    She also smoked constantly, and I believe that was another significant factor in his death. More must be done to give CF sufferers the best chance at life.

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