Introduction
Do you guys recognize this movie? It’s called five feet apart and it’s about two teenagers and their
forbidden love. You might wonder what this has to do with our English presentation. These teenagers
are dangerously sick, they have a disease. It’s called cystic fibrosis and today we are going to tell you
more about it.
What is CF?
Cystic fibrosis is a congenital disease that cannot be cured. It is caused by a fault in the genetic
material, the CFTR gene. If you inherit such a fault from both parents, you have CF. If you inherit one
fault, you are a carrier. CF is not contagious.
In the disease one protein does not work properly anymore. This protein is found in many places in
the body where mucus is made. Mucus helps to remove substances and bacteria from the nose,
mouth and lungs.
But when this protein doesn't work properly, mucus becomes tough and thick. As a result, the mucus
does not flow properly. Blockages in the nose, throat or lungs can cause pneumonia. Blockages in the
pancreas and intestines prevent your food from being digested properly. Frequent blockages cause
scarring of your organs. The organs can become less and less efficient and the symptoms get worse.
About 1600 people in the Netherlands have cystic fibrosis. It is estimated that 1 in 30 Dutch people is
a carrier of a fault in the CFTR gene. Thanks to good care, people with cystic fibrosis live to be 47
years old on average.
Symptoms
A person has CF from birth and symptoms increase over time.
CF can be recognized by the following symptoms:
Salt-tasting skin due to the error in the CFTR gene, this gene regulates the passage of salt in
and out of a cell.
Chronic respiratory problems, because the patient often coughs and breathes quickly or with
difficulty.
They often have infections in the lungs, but also in throat or nose.
They grow poorly and have weight loss because they have little appetite for food and the
food is not properly digested, so energy is lost through the stool.
In meconium ileus, blockages occur in the intestines causing the patient to experience
abdominal pain.
The patient has bulky and greasy stool.
How severe the symptoms are and how the disease progresses is different for everyone. But the
symptoms almost always originate in the lungs and digestive organs.
Do you guys recognize this movie? It’s called five feet apart and it’s about two teenagers and their
forbidden love. You might wonder what this has to do with our English presentation. These teenagers
are dangerously sick, they have a disease. It’s called cystic fibrosis and today we are going to tell you
more about it.
What is CF?
Cystic fibrosis is a congenital disease that cannot be cured. It is caused by a fault in the genetic
material, the CFTR gene. If you inherit such a fault from both parents, you have CF. If you inherit one
fault, you are a carrier. CF is not contagious.
In the disease one protein does not work properly anymore. This protein is found in many places in
the body where mucus is made. Mucus helps to remove substances and bacteria from the nose,
mouth and lungs.
But when this protein doesn't work properly, mucus becomes tough and thick. As a result, the mucus
does not flow properly. Blockages in the nose, throat or lungs can cause pneumonia. Blockages in the
pancreas and intestines prevent your food from being digested properly. Frequent blockages cause
scarring of your organs. The organs can become less and less efficient and the symptoms get worse.
About 1600 people in the Netherlands have cystic fibrosis. It is estimated that 1 in 30 Dutch people is
a carrier of a fault in the CFTR gene. Thanks to good care, people with cystic fibrosis live to be 47
years old on average.
Symptoms
A person has CF from birth and symptoms increase over time.
CF can be recognized by the following symptoms:
Salt-tasting skin due to the error in the CFTR gene, this gene regulates the passage of salt in
and out of a cell.
Chronic respiratory problems, because the patient often coughs and breathes quickly or with
difficulty.
They often have infections in the lungs, but also in throat or nose.
They grow poorly and have weight loss because they have little appetite for food and the
food is not properly digested, so energy is lost through the stool.
In meconium ileus, blockages occur in the intestines causing the patient to experience
abdominal pain.
The patient has bulky and greasy stool.
How severe the symptoms are and how the disease progresses is different for everyone. But the
symptoms almost always originate in the lungs and digestive organs.
