Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis is the most common genetic disorder in the Caucasians population. It is a fatal inherited disorder of the lungs and digestive system.
People that have a genetic disorder are born with it. The genetic defect causes a chemical error in all the cells in their bodies. In the children and adults with cystic fibrosis, a mistake in the single gene disables a type of protein that functions as an ion channel. This molecule regulates the balance of salt in a special type of cell that lines many of the body’s glands. All people with genetic disorders have inherited the defective genes from their parents.
An inherited disease is not contagious. It cannot be caught as if it were a cold. Because cystic fibrosis is a genetic defect, people who have it cannot outgrow it. They must live with it throughout their lives. Today, people with cystic fibrosis have a life expectancy of about thirty years.
A person with cystic fibrosis has inherited two copies of a ...