Cystic fibrosis, also known as cystic fibrosis, affects over 30,000 children and adults worldwide. Cystic fibrosis is a disease of the lungs and digestive system and is still incurable today. It is a disease that causes thick, abnormal mucus in the lungs, nasal polyps, fatigue, and can also damage organs in a person's body. According to www.cff.org/aboutcf, more than 70 percent of cystic fibrosis patients are diagnosed at two years of age. Cystic fibrosis is one of the most life-threatening diseases in the United States and is very common among chronic diseases. Cystic fibrosis is most commonly diagnosed in young children and sometimes in adults. I have been dealing with cystic fibrosis my whole life because my 14 year old brother was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was born. He was in the hospital several days after his birth and as a baby, and was constantly in and out of the hospital. He still goes to the doctor every few months for checkups and lung tests. In the 1950s, people with cystic fibrosis did not live long enough to attend their first year of school. Now, in the modern era, patients can live into their thirties or forties if they are lucky, but it will most likely lead to death due to lung complications later on. Some of the symptoms of a cystic fibrosis patient are salty tasting skin, constant cough, frequent lung infections, wheezing and breathing problems, low immune system and growth, and malfunctions in the digestive system. Some people can go years without showing any symptoms of cystic fibrosis, but they have the disease. Most people are diagnosed with the disease by two years of age, and some may not be diagnosed until later in life (around age 18). Infants born with cystic fibrosis may not have any signs of a bowel movement within the first 24 to 48 hours of birth...... middle of paper ......rican Lung Association, 2014. Web. 05 March 2014. "Cystic fibrosis". Definition. Mayo Clinic Staff, June 13, 2012. Web. March 4, 2014."Cystic Fibrosis Symptoms, Treatment, Life Expectancy, Genes, Tests - MedicineNet." MedicineNet. Medicine Network, 1996. Web. 05 March 2014. Izenberg, Neil, MD. “KidsHealth Cystic Fibrosis.” KidsHealth: The most visited children's health site on the web. The Nemours Foundation, 1995. Web. 02 March 2014Schoenstadt, Arthur, MD. “Treatment for Cystic Fibrosis.” EMedTV: health information comes to life. Clinearo, Inc., and Web. March 05, 2014."Sign in." Cystic fibrosis and your baby. March of Dimes Foundation, 2014. Web. 05 March 2014. "Pulmonology." Riley Hopsital for children. IUHealth, Riley Childrens Hospital, 2014. Web. March 5, 2014."What is cystic fibrosis?" - NHLBI, NIH. National Institutes of Health, 26 December 2013. Web. 04 March. 2014.