There are many different ways in which individual’s quality of life can be affected by ill-health. In this assignment I will be discussing how cystic fibrosis and obesity affects the health and lifestyle of the person with the illnesses.
What is cystic fibrosis?
Cystic fibrosis is an example of ill health, as it is the UK’s most common, life threatening disorder. It is a genetic disorder that is caused by ‘an inherited disease caused by a faulty gene. In the UK, 2.3 million people carry the faulty gene and when two people that are carriers of the gene, there is a 1 in 4 chance in every pregnancy that their child will be born with cystic fibrosis. This gene controls the movement of salt and water in and out of your cells, so the lungs and digestive system become clogged with mucus, making it hard to breathe and digest food.’ This faulty gene causes a variety of symptoms for the person with the disorder, some of these symptoms include: a persistent cough, poor weight gain and recurring chest and lung infections. The cells most seriously affected are the lung cells, this is because the over production of mucus clogs the airways of the lungs and increases the risk of infection due to the amount of bacteria that can reproduce which may lead to lung and heart failure. Cystic fibrosis is a disorder that is getting more treatable over the years and with newfound technology and medication has meant that ’life expectancy for children born and diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) in 2010 is 37 years for females and 40 years for males’ Lewis, R (2014) however, the age does vary depending on the severity of the symptoms the individual has.
Treating cystic fibrosis
‘There is no cure for cystic fibrosis. The aim of treatment is to ease the symptoms and make the condition easier to live with. It can also prevent or reduce long-term damage caused by infections and other