How does cystic fibrosis affect the body?
Cystic fibrosis (CF) leads to the secretion of unusually thick, dehydrated, and sticky mucus in many tissues of the body, including the airways, pancreatic ducts, sweat ducts, sinuses, and bowels. Obstruction of the pancreatic ducts severely damages the pancreas, and reduces the body’s ability to make the enzymes required to digest proteins and fat. Obstruction of the small airways of the lung results in the permanent dilation of these bronchi (bronchiectasis), and provides a site where certain infections can take hold. The thick and dehydrated mucus prevents the normal clearance of bacteria and other microbes from the lungs, and patients acquire chronic infections.
