What Are Your Options for Treating Cystic Fibrosis?

The first information anyone wants to know when he or she are diagnosed with a serious disease is; what can we do to treat it? There is no known cure for cystic fibrosis at this time. Treatment options are for prolonging life and improving the quality of life for patients. Advances are being made every year and the life expectancy of cystic fibrosis patients has risen from the age of 16 to the late 30’s. That is a huge improvement since the disease was first diagnosed in the 1940’s. Symptoms and severity of the disease will vary from patient to patient. Each patient may have different parts of his or her body affected by the disease. Cystic fibrosis affects the pulmonary organs, digestive tract, and reproductive system. Other little known signs of cystic fibrosis are blood disorders, bone and joint problems, and osteoporosis.

Treatments will vary from patient to patient depending on which part of their body is being affected by the disease. Treatments will be tailored to fit each patient. Some patients will have more severe symptoms than others, so each treatment will need to be individualized. There are a wide variety of treatments and medications that can be used depending on the severity, the stage of the disease, and how fast it is progressing. The general goals of any treatment are to ensure the patient is receiving the right amounts of calories and nutrients and to increase the airflow to the lungs. Treatment is needed for prevention and treatment of lung infections and to decrease the amount and thickness of the mucus in the lungs.

Patients with cystic fibrosis may want to look for a CF treatment center near your city. There are over 115 CF centers scattered throughout the United States. These centers specialize in treating and diagnosing cystic fibrosis. Treatment at these centers will include instructions on diet and nutrition, physical therapy, and medications that will ease the symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

Often patients with CF are undernourished and fail to thrive because the disease is blocking the essential nutrients from getting into the digestive tract. Growth is slow and children are smaller and fail to gain the weight that others of that age do. Children and adults should increase their caloric intake by at least 120%. They should also increase the protein in their diet. If you are a CF patient and worried you are not getting the proper nutrients, there are several nutrient supplements on the market in pleasant tasting shake forms.

Each cystic fibrosis patient should do exercise as their body can tolerate it. Physical exercise will help keep the thickened mucus from building up in the body. It also allows the mucus to be removed much easier. Physical exercise can also expand the lung capacity and give the body more air to work with. Not every cystic fibrosis patient may be able to do physical exercise. You should always check with your doctor before starting on any new diet or exercise routine.