What else does cystic fibrosis affect?

Why does cystic fibrosis affect more than the lungs? Because it is not a lung disease, it is a disease of the excess of mucus. It comes down to one protein doing one job and not doing it. That is the whole condition in one sentence, and it shows up wherever there is mucus. It is genetic and it is recessive, which means it is carried quietly through families for generations before it ever shows up, and nobody did anything to cause it. It is a progressive condition, however, children with CF are expected to live healthy, full lives into their thirties, their forties and well beyond.

So what has any of that got to do with a physio? More than most families expect, because lungs are our area. There are two jobs. The first is clearing: shifting mucus to where it can be coughed up. The second is building cardiorespiratory fitness to boost lung capacity. The part that matters most is that the airway clearance happens at home, twice a day, by you.

It is also the Monday after Father's Day, so the episode opens somewhere else entirely: with the most under-diagnosed condition in the country, sixty thousand sufferers in Campbelltown alone. One of us takes it very seriously.

Topics covered: cystic fibrosis, CF in children, is cystic fibrosis a lung disease, airway clearance, chest physiotherapy for children, huffing, PEP therapy, percussion and vibration, bubbles airway clearance, mucus, pancreatic enzymes, lung function, respiratory fitness for children, cystic fibrosis life expectancy, man flu, Father's Day, dads, men's health, when to see a paediatric physiotherapist, gross motor development, early intervention, Campbelltown, Macarthur, NSW.

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Support lines

• Pregnancy, Birth and Baby: 1800 882 436

Sources behind this episode

Written by the paediatric physiotherapy team at Aderet Therapy, Campbelltown.

In this episode

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:59 - Song: How Are You Going, Dad
• 03:18 - The Disease that hits Dads the hardest
• 07:36 - Song: The Bravest Man On The Couch
• 10:30 - Cystic Fibrosis
• 15:50 - Song: Room To Breathe
• 18:49 - When to seek help

About the show

Aderet Therapy Weekly is a short weekly podcast for parents of babies and young children, from the paediatric physiotherapy team at Aderet Therapy in Campbelltown, in the Macarthur region of south west Sydney, NSW. Every episode takes one thing parents worry about, explains what is actually known about it, and says plainly what is not known. No judgement, no jargon, no scare tactics.

Aderet Therapy: paediatric physiotherapy, early intervention key worker support, communication physiotherapy and AAC, aquatic physiotherapy, equipment prescription, school holiday programs, and the free Little Movers League community sessions. NDIS, Medicare and private health.

Contact

• Website: aderettherapy.com.au
• Phone: 02 4949 7276
• Address: Suite 10, 261 Queen Street, Campbelltown NSW 2560

Disclaimer

Everything in this episode is general information only. Every child is unique, and nothing here replaces a conversation with your GP, your child and family health nurse, or your physiotherapist.