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Dear Dr. Doo Daa,
My wife and I are
expecting our 3rd child. She is around 9 weeks pregnant and has
just been told that she is a carrier of Cystic Fibrosis. Our Doctor
has also said that I need to be tested. No one has ever told me
that I am a carrier, and furthermore I don't have a family history
of CF. Neither of the previous two kids was diagnosed with
CF.........................
I need all the
information I can get regarding CF and how it relates to
Pregnancy. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
We are very concerned about this.
Thank you for your
time.
Sincerely,
Marc and Kendra
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Dear Mark and Kendra,
Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disorder in which the body secretes a
very thick
and sticky mucous which can clog the pancreas and lungs, and therefore
cause
problems with breathing, digestion, and infection.
Cystic fibrosis care has greatly improved in the last 20 years. More
than 60% of
babies with cystic fibrosis now reach adulthood (for more about cystic
fibrosis,
please click here
http://www.cysticfibrosis.com/).
Cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder. In other
words,
for a child to inherit this disease, the child must receive the gene
from both
parents.
In the general population, 1 out of 31 Americans has the gene and is
considered
a "carrier". They don't have the disease, but can pass it on to their
children,
if their spouse has the gene, also. If both parents are found to be
carriers,
then the child has a 25% chance of getting cystic fibrosis.
Even though you don't have a family history for cystic fibrosis, that
doesn't
mean that you aren't carrying the gene.
So, it is very important for you to get tested, and find out if you
carry the
gene, also. Your chances of having the gene are about 3%, so it would be
very
unlikely that you possess it. But, go in and get checked out, anyway.
I hope that helps. Dr. Mike
This
article was reviewed
04/23/2010 07:24 AM
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