CF

Question

I am a 15-year-old girl, and have had for 10 years unexplained abdominal complaints and since 4 years I often suffer from anxiety. I have a lot of mucus that I cannot cough up properly. Very occasionally I also lose some blood when I cough too hard. This blood is then mixed with mucus. Afterwards I often have pain in my lungs.
Is it possible that I have cystic fibrosis? Or is it not possible?

Answer

Dear questioner,

Unfortunately we cannot give you personal advice through this road and based on your question we cannot state whether you have Cystic Fibrosis or not. Please discuss these problems first with your parents and ask with them advice at your general doctor or pulmonologist.
Cystic fibrosis gives generally a combination of lung and abdominal complaints. Individuals with classic Cystic Fibrosis have digestive problems with abdominal pain and a poor weight evolution. Lung problems often go along with coughing and coughing up mucus. When there is blood in the mucus, it is usually a sign of chronic infection, when small blood vessels in the lungs begin to bleed. Distress can also be a sign of cystic fibrosis. However, there are many other diseases that cause similar symptoms.
The best way to detect cystic fibrosis is a sweat test, or if it does not give a clear result, genetic research. You can read more about this in other sections on this website.
Dr. Mieke Boon

06.05.2015