Thanks to earlier diagnosis and better treatment, today’s life expectancy for people with CF is late thirties and beyond. And INTEGRIS Health will be with you every step of the way.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetically inherited, life-threatening disease that affects many organs, and there is no known cure. It's always life-changing to learn your child has a disease, but there is good news with cystic fibrosis.
Thanks to earlier diagnosis and better treatment, in the past few decades remarkable improvements have been made in the prognosis for cystic fibrosis. Life expectancy used to be in the early teens or younger. Today, it's late thirties and beyond. And INTEGRIS Health will be with you every step of the way, with the best physicians and specialists, the latest technology and the emotional support you need.
If someone in your family has CF, you might be carrying the CF gene without being affected by the disease – or being aware you're carrying it. Even if you're not affected by it, you could pass CF on to a child. So it's important to do a simple blood sample or cheek test to see if you're a carrier.
The symptoms of CF differ for each person. Infants born with CF usually show symptoms by age two. Some children, though, may not show symptoms until later in life. The following signs are suspicious of CF, and infants having these signs may be tested for CF:
Additional CF Symptoms & Problems
Most cases of cystic fibrosis are now identified with newborn screening. In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, diagnostic procedures for cystic fibrosis include a sweat test to measure the amount of sodium chloride (salt) present. Higher than normal amounts of sodium and chloride suggest cystic fibrosis. Other diagnostic procedures include:
Currently, there is no cure for CF. A cure would call for gene therapy at an early age and this has not been developed yet, although research is being done in this direction. Goals of treatment are to ease severity of your symptoms and slow the progress of the disease. Specific treatment for cystic fibrosis will be determined by your doctor based on your age, overall health, and medical history, extent of the disease, expectations for the course of the disease, your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies and your opinion or preference.
Management of problems that cause lung obstruction, which may involve:
Management of digestive problems, which may involve:
Newer therapies include lung transplantation for patients with end-stage lung disease. The type of transplant done is usually a heart-lung transplant, or a double lung transplant. Not everyone is a candidate for a lung transplant. Discuss this with your doctor.
Our pulmonary rehabilitation programs at INTEGRIS help you by creating individualized plans and education, so you can do more things you enjoy. Support services include:
We strive to provide you with care that’s not only the best available, but care that’s convenient and as close to home as possible. These INTEGRIS Health locations near you are ready to help.
