
- antibiotics to prevent and treat chest infections.
- medicines to make the mucus in the lungs thinner and easier to cough up.
- medicines to widen the airways and reduce inflammation.
- special techniques and devices to help clear mucus from the lungs.
Medication
The oldest person with cystic fibrosis was 82 years of age, and an American citizen. He or she was still alive in 2014 at the time of a published article in which they are mentioned. Though it’s not likely that they are still alive seven years later, this person is the oldest known cystic fibrosis patient to have achieved the average person’s life expectancy (and then some)!
Procedures
Nutritional support is a vital component of care for patients with cystic fibrosis. These recommendations cover caloric intake, dosing for pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, and monitoring growth in childhood and weight status in patients of all ages.
Therapy
It is caused by a recessive allele. In a genetic diagram: Someone who is homozygous (ff) for the recessive allele will develop cystic fibrosis. Someone who is heterozygous (Ff) or homozygous (FF) for the dominant allele will not develop cystic fibrosis.
Nutrition
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease leading to chronic bacterial airway infection and inflammation. T helper 17 (Th17) cells are identified by their production of interleukin (IL)-17A, which recruit neutrophils to the site of airway infection. IL-23 is an important inducer of IL-17 and IL-22 production.
See more
Who is the longest living person with cystic fibrosis?
What is routine care of patients with cystic fibrosis include?
Is cystic fibrosis caused by a dominant or recessive allele?
Is cystic fibrosis a Th17 disease?

What tests are done for cystic fibrosis?
Doctors may also recommend genetic tests for specific defects on the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis. Genetic tests may be used in addition to checking the IRT levels to confirm the diagnosis.
How to diagnose cystic fibrosis?
Diagnosis. To diagnose cystic fibrosis, doctors typically do a physical exam, review your symptoms and conduct several tests.
What is CTFR modulator?
For those with cystic fibrosis who have certain gene mutations, doctors may recommend cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CTFR) modulators. These newer medications help improve the function of the faulty CFTR protein. They may improve lung function and weight, and reduce the amount of salt in sweat.
How to clear mucus in the airways?
These techniques loosen the thick mucus in the lungs, making it easier to cough up. Airway clearing techniques are usually done several times a day.
Why is CF malnourishment bad?
Cystic fibrosis can cause malnourishment because the enzymes needed for digestion can't reach your small intestine, preventing food from being absorbed. People with CF may need a much higher number of calories daily than do people without the condition.
Is there a cure for cystic fibrosis?
There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, but treatment can ease symptoms, reduce complications and improve quality of life. Close monitoring and early, aggressive intervention is recommended to slow the progression of CF, which can lead to a longer life.
Is second hand smoke bad for cystic fibrosis?
Don't smoke, and don't allow other people to smoke around you or your child. Secondhand smoke is harmful for everyone, but especially for people with cystic fibrosis, as is air pollution.
How to help cystic fibrosis patients?
That’s why it’s important to find ways to manage stress. Yoga, meditation, exercise, hanging out with friends, and hobbies are all popular and effective ways to manage stress, anxiety, ...
How to help CF?
Exercise. Among its many benefits for people with CF, exercise builds lung capacity, helps with airway clearance, builds strong bones, and strengthens the heart and breathing muscles. Dedication to daily exercise keeps people with CF healthier, longer.
How far away should you be from someone with cystic fibrosis?
The 6-foot rule. People with cystic fibrosis are especially vulnerable to lung infections carried by other people with CF. That is why it’s important for people with CF to keep a distance of 6 feet from others with CF from a different household.
What are the best ways to help someone with CF?
Medications, vaccinations, enzymes, and airway clearance techniques only play one part in keeping someone with CF as healthy as possible. Lifestyle also matters, with nutrition, exercise, sleep habits, stress management, and organizational ability all playing equally important roles.
How much time do you spend on CF?
It varies by individual, but the average amount of time an adult with CF spends on their treatments (medications, enzymes, and airway clearance) is 108 minutes per day, regardless of the severity of their disease. Caregivers of children with CF report 74 minutes ...
How to maintain health in CF?
To maintain health, chunks of time also should be set aside daily for exercise, nutritious meals and snacks, and adequate sleep. These activities must be built into a day filled with school, work, hobbies, taking care of family, and at least quarterly visits to the CF care center. 1,2.
Why do people with CF need extra calories?
But these can’t just be empty calories. Due to their gastrointestinal system not digesting food properly, a condition called malabsorption, people with CF need extra nutrition to prevent malnutrition and failure to thrive as children. 3
What is the goal of gene therapy for CF?
Over time, gene therapy research may cure, prevent, or slow the disease's progress. Goals of treatment are to ease severity of symptoms and slow the progress of the disease. Treatment may include:
What is CFTR modulator?
Treatment may include: CFTR modulator therapies. CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator) is the protein that is not formed correctly in people with CF. There are new CFTR modulator therapies that are designed to correct the function of the defective protein made by the CF gene. These proteins are only appropriate for certain people ...
Is there a cure for cystic fibrosis?
It will also depend on how severe the condition is. There is no cure for CF. But research in gene therapy is being done. The gene that causes CF has been found.
How do you treat CF?
Many people with CF use inhalation devices and inhaled therapies to help maintain lung health and function. Various forms of inhalation devices can be found to help treat CF. These devices are used to deliver medication directly to the lungs, working to help alleviate symptoms of the disease. These include metered dose inhalers, conventional nebulizers, ultrasonic nebulizers, vibrating mesh technology nebulizers, and adaptive aerosol delivery nebulizers. There are different types of therapies that may be inhaled including bronchodilators, mucolytics, corticosteroids, and some antibiotics.
Why do you need bronchodilators for CF?
To prevent bronchospasms (a sudden constriction of the airways) and to ensure that CF patients can get a full dose of any inhaled medications they may be using, bronchodilators are often prescribed. These are medications (usually inhaled) that cause the smooth muscle surrounding the airways to dilate or relax, allowing the lungs to fill more easily with air.
What is the name of the antibiotic that is used to treat Staphylococcus aureus?
Cephalosporins are a group of broad spectrum antibiotics that come from the mold Cephalosporium. They are classified according to their generation, depending on their antibacterial activity, their structure, and their distinctive target. Cephalexin, cefdinir, cefprozil, and cefaclor are cephalosporins that treat Staphylococcus aureus infections and cefuroxime is used for Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.
What is the mucus of CF?
The mucus that accumulates in CF is rich in polysaccharides and proteins, presenting an ideal culture medium for the growth of different kinds of bacteria. The lungs are particularly vulnerable in patients with CF, making them susceptible to a wide range of acute and chronic bacterial infections. There is a complex arsenal of antibiotics to combat these infections.
Why do people with CF have more gastrointestinal problems than healthy people?
People with CF may have more gastrointestinal problems than healthy people because they are frequently on antibiotic therapy, which kills bad and good bacteria. Particular strains of probiotics may help prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea and Clostridium difficile -associated diarrhea. Prebiotics are foods that resist digestion and promote the growth of the “good” bacteria in the large intestine.
Does penicillin kill CF?
Penicillin is a bactericidal, that is, it directly kills the bacteria. It is a narrow-spectrum antibiotic that can treat infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in CF. The antibiotic can be taken as a tablet, intravenously, or intramuscularly. Some CF patients may be allergic to penicillin.
Is there a cure for cystic fibrosis?
There is no cure for cystic fibrosis (CF) yet, but approved medications and other treatment options can help improve patients’ quality of life, ease symptoms, and slow the disease’s progression. Some of these therapies approved for the treatment of CF are summarized below.
What is the best medicine for cystic fibrosis?
Medications used to treat cystic fibrosis. The CF Foundation recommends the following order of inhaled medications: Bronchodilator. Hypertonic saline. Dornase alfa. Aerosolized antibiotic. These drugs are used in combination with airway clearance techniques in a specific order designed to move mucus out of the lungs.
What medications do people with CF take?
Other medications that people with CF often take include oral and IV antibiotics, CFTR modulators, and ibuprofen, in addition to nutritional supplements such as pancreatic enzymes and vitamins.
What is CFTR modulator?
CFTR modulators. A class of drugs for CF called CFTR modulators target specific defects in the CFTR protein so that the protein can work properly. CFTR modulators do not fully restore chloride flow, but they do improve the flow enough to relieve CF symptoms.
How do bronchodilators help with CF?
The person with CF breathes through a device that delivers air-borne medicine directly into their airways. Albuterol and levabuterol are common drugs delivered through a nebulizer or inhaler.
What is IV antibiotic?
Intravenous (IV) antibiotics are used during exacerbations. Controlling the organisms that cause lung infections helps improve lung function, making it easier to breathe, and helps reduce the chances of an exacerbation.
What organs does CF affect?
Cystic fibrosis (CF) affects the lungs the most, but also impacts the digestive system, including the pancreas, liver, intestines, and kidneys. CF may also impact the ears, nose and sinuses, sex organs, and the bones and joints. Because CF attacks so many organs in the body and causes persistent lung infections, ...
Can you take mucus thinners with CF?
Most people with CF inhale their mucus thinners, but the drugs also come in tablet form for people without CF. Commonly prescribed mucus thinners for CF include hypertonic saline, and dornase alfa (Pulmozyme). 1,2.

Diagnosis
Treatment
Clinical Trials
Coping and Support
Specialist to consult
Preparing For Your Appointment