Cystic Fibrosis









Bonita F. Stanton, MD, Consulting Editor
Our understanding of cystic fibrosis (CF) has exploded over the last several decades, with substantial advances in disease treatment and life expectancy. Given dramatic advances in newborn screening, approximately 80% of patients living in the United States with CF are diagnosed by age 2. Through the 1950s, the majority of children with CF died before age 5. A substantial increase in life expectancy was derived from the understanding of the high salt concentration in sweat associated with CF and the role of pancreatic enzymes. The emphasis on early and aggressive airway clearance and use of antibiotics resulted in further increases in life expectancy such that by the 1980s a majority of patients with CF were surviving into their late teens. With the early diagnosis and the treatment modalities described in these articles, the average lifespan now hovers close to 40 years of age, with many patients living into and past their 50s. As CF is no longer just a disease of childhood, this issue should be of interest to pediatricians, family medicine practitioners, and internists. The articles clearly and effectively describe the history of these breakthroughs and the current standard of care.


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Oct 2, 2017 | Posted by in PEDIATRICS | Comments Off on Cystic Fibrosis

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