cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder characterized by abnormally large
amounts of thick secretions and pancreatic insufficiency that causes lung infections
and difficulty breathing over time we created this video to cover the medical definition and
provide a brief overview of this topic so if you're ready let's get into it
cystic fibrosis is a condition that causes the body to produce excessive amounts of thick mucous
which makes it difficult to breathe as previously mentioned it's a genetic disorder which means
that patients are born with this condition and cannot contract it later on in life for this
to occur both parents must carry a defective gene that is specific to cystic fibrosis which
is passed along to their offspring this disease affects more than 70 000 people around the world
patients with cystic fibrosis may have some or all of the following signs and symptoms
thick sticky mucus productive cough salty taste on our skin poor growth and low body
weight frequent lung infections shortness of breath tachypnea and or digital clubbing
while these are the most common signs and symptoms the severity can vary from patient to patient
cystic fibrosis can be diagnosed with a variety of different methods including a sweat chloride test
newborn screening or genetic testing it can also be helpful to look at the patient's chest x-ray
abg results pulmonary function test and a complete blood count as previously mentioned
the severity of cystic fibrosis differs from person to person this means that the
treatment modalities may vary as well however in general the patient will most likely require
airway clearance therapy and certain types of inhaled medications airway clearance therapy
uses a variety of techniques to help mobilize and remove secretions in order to improve gas exchange
some examples include cpt or chest physical therapy postural drainage pep therapy high
frequency chest wall compression and forced expiration techniques some common medications
that may be indicated for cystic fibrosis patients include bronchodilators mucolytics
such as pulmozyne and inhaled antibiotics such as topomyosin or tobii for short most patients
may also benefit from pancreatic digestive enzyme supplements and cftr modulators as well lastly
cystic fibrosis patients can benefit from a personal fitness regimen in order to increase
their strength and energy level unfortunately there is no known cure for cystic fibrosis at
this time as a medical professional your job is to help the patient manage their symptoms
as much as possible again for this video we just wanted to provide you with a brief
overview of this topic we'll be breaking it down into much more detail in a separate video
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just a quick reminder we are not doctors this video is for educational and informational
purposes only and if you want to dive deeper and learn more about this topic
you can go to respiratorytherapyzone.com where we have a ton of free study guides
practice questions and other helpful resources i'll drop links to everything you need right
below this video down in the description thank you so much for watching all the way to the end
have a blessed day and as always real easy my friend
you