Cystic Fibrosis - Katelyn Allen

Main Ideas:

- Cystic Fibrosis affects the lungs and the digestive system.

- The disease is caused by genetic mutations within the gene that makes the CFTR protein.

- CFTR stands for Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance regulator and is responsible for regulating the flow and salt and other fluids within the body.

- This disease causes buildup of thick mucus within the lungs which leads to complications within several organs.

- Cystic Fibrosis is a recessive disease, the person with CF must have gotten both copies of the CFTR gene.

Summary:

- I have learned that Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic recessive disease meaning that a person must have received the mutated gene from each parent. Before researching I had known about the affects of Cystic Fibrosis on the lungs and that the disease has so far been incurable. What surprised me the most was that if someone had one mutated CFTR gene and one normal copy the person would not have Cystic Fibrosis but would be a CF carrier. I enjoyed researching this topic because I learned a lot about the genetic side of the disease rather than just the symptoms.

Citations:

- Cff.org. (2019). CF Genetics: The Basics. [online] Available at: https://www.cff.org/What-is-CF/Genetics/CF-Genetics-The-Basics/ [Accessed 18 Feb. 2019].

- Mayo Clinic. (2019). Cystic fibrosis - Symptoms and causes. [online] Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cystic-fibrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353700 [Accessed 18 Feb. 2019].

-Katelyn Allen