National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Cystic Fibrosis is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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National Institutes of Health
Cystic Fibrosis
Also called: CF
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disease of the mucus and sweat glands. It affects mostly your lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, sinuses and sex organs. CF causes your mucus to be thick and sticky. The mucus clogs the lungs, causing breathing problems and making it easy for bacteria to grow. This can lead to problems such as repeated lung infections and lung damage.
The symptoms and severity of CF vary widely. Some people have serious problems from birth. Others have a milder version of the disease that doesn't show up until they are teens or young adults.
Although there is no cure for CF, treatments have improved greatly in recent years. Until the 1980s, most deaths from CF occurred in children and teenagers. Today, with improved treatments, some people who have CF are living into their forties, fifties, or older.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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Start Here
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Cystic Fibrosis(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Cystic Fibrosis
(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
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Cystic Fibrosis
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
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Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Cystic Fibrosis(American Lung Association)
- Cystic Fibrosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Cystic Fibrosis: Frequently Asked Questions(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- CF Gene Mutation Testing(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
- Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Respiratory Screen: Sputum(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Signs and Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Sweat Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
- Trypsin and Chymotrypsin Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
- Trypsinogen Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
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Treatment
- How Is Cystic Fibrosis Treated?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Therapies for Cystic Fibrosis(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
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Prevention/Screening
- Carrier Screening for Cystic Fibrosis (CF)(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Cystic Fibrosis: Prenatal Screening and Diagnosis(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - PDF
- Newborn Screening for Cystic Fibrosis(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
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Nutrition
- Nutrition and Cystic Fibrosis: Changes through Life(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Nutrition for Your Child with Cystic Fibrosis (Four to Seven Years)(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
- Nutrition for Your Infant with Cystic Fibrosis (Birth to One Year)(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Nutrition for Your Toddler with Cystic Fibrosis (One to Three Years)(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Nutrition: Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement in People with Cystic Fibrosis(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Supporting Nutrition: Understanding Tubefeeding(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
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Rehabilitation/Recovery
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MedlinePlus: Pulmonary Rehabilitation(National Library of Medicine)
- Also available in Spanish
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MedlinePlus: Pulmonary Rehabilitation
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Disease Management
- Airway Clearance Techniques(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
- Day-to-Day: Exercise and Cystic Fibrosis (CF)(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
- Introduction to Postural Drainage and Percussion(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
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Living with Cystic Fibrosis(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Related Issues
- Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
- Lung Health: What You Should Know about Germs(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
- Managing Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes (CFRD): An Instruction Guide for Patients & Families(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
- MRSA and Cystic Fibrosis(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
- Risks of Smoking for People with Cystic Fibrosis(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
- Seasonal Flu FAQs(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
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Tutorials
- Cystic Fibrosis(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- What Is Cystic Fibrosis?(Dolan DNA Learning Center)
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Videos
- If I Had - A Child with Recurrent Chest Infections(Insidermedicine)
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Financial Issues
- Day-to-Day: Know Your Health Insurance Coverage(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Cystic Fibrosis(National Institutes of Health)
- Clinical Research(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Cystic Fibrosis
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Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: Cystic fibrosis(National Library of Medicine)
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Learning about Cystic Fibrosis(National Human Genome Research Institute)
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Genetics Home Reference: Cystic fibrosis
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Research
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Breakdown in Breathing: The Complexities of Cystic Fibrosis(National Institutes of Health)
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Cystic Fibrosis(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Drug Development Pipeline(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
- Human Growth Hormone for Children with Cystic Fibrosis: A Review of the Research for Parents and Caregivers(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
- Also available in Spanish
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Breakdown in Breathing: The Complexities of Cystic Fibrosis
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Directories
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: Find a Chapter(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: Find an Accredited Care Center(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
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Organizations
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Statistics
- Cystic Fibrosis (CF)(American Lung Association) - PDF
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MedlinePlus Magazine
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Children
- Cystic Fibrosis (For Children)(Nemours Foundation)
- Cystic Fibrosis: Diet and Nutrition(Nemours Foundation)
- Living with CF at School(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
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Teenagers
- Cystic Fibrosis (For Teens)(Nemours Foundation)
- Cystic Fibrosis: Diet and Nutrition(Nemours Foundation)
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Patient Handouts
- Cystic fibrosis
- Also available in Spanish
- Cystic fibrosis - nutritional considerations
- Also available in Spanish
- How to breathe when you are short of breath
- Also available in Spanish
- Neonatal cystic fibrosis screening
- Also available in Spanish
- Postural drainage
- Also available in Spanish
- Traveling with breathing problems
- Also available in Spanish
- Using oxygen at home
- Also available in Spanish
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