Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common inherited health conditions that can impact your digestive system, lungs, as well as other organs. This system mainly damages the organs that produce digestive juices, mucus, and sweat while making the secretions thick and sticky.
The common respiratory symptoms of this disorder include recurrent sinusitis, wheezing, persistent cough, thick mucus generation, stuffy nose, lung infections, and exercise intolerance. If you experience any of these symptoms then you must consider availing of the treatments of pulmonology in Siliguri.
Here are some of the severe complications that you can experience if cystic fibrosis is not treated properly.
1. Nasal Polyps
Cystic fibrosis can make the lining inside the nose severely swollen and inflamed, which can lead to the development of nasal polyps. This is one of the major complications of the disorder where you can notice soft and non-cancerous growths inside your nose.
Some of the common symptoms of nasal polyps include snoring, headaches, loss of smell, nasal drainage, stuffy nose, and postnasal drip. The doctor may recommend injections, oral steroids, endoscopic surgery, or steroid sprays to cure this issue.
2. Damaged Airways
Damaged airways or bronchiectasis is another health condition that patients with cystic fibrosis may develop. In this condition, your airways get widened and scarred which makes it harder to clean the mucus.
This disorder also makes you prone to frequent respiratory infections and inflammation. The early signs of bronchiectasis include coughing blood and mucus, bad-smelling mucus, shortness of breath, fever, and fatigue. Antibiotics and physical therapy can control the symptoms of the disorder.
3. Infections
Cystic fibrosis leads to the production of thick mucus in the sinuses and lungs, which makes a perfect breeding ground for fungi and bacteria. This is why people suffering from this disorder are prone to develop several bacterial infections such as pneumonia, sinus infections, and bronchitis.
These types of bacterial infections have high antibiotic resistance, which makes them difficult to treat properly. You can consult the top pulmonologist in Siliguri to get effective treatment options for the infections.
4. Respiratory Failure
Respiratory failure is another probable complication of cystic fibrosis which is caused due to damaged lung tissues. In this condition, your body is filled with high levels of carbon dioxide and low levels of oxygen, which makes it a life-threatening disorder.
The symptoms of acute respiratory failure that you must notice are restlessness, rapid breathing, fast heart rate, excessive sweating, and fatigue. The doctor may recommend immediate mechanical ventilation to stabilize the condition.
5. Pneumothorax
You can also develop pneumothorax if you have cystic fibrosis and in this condition, you are at high risk of experiencing lung collapse. Chest pain, shortness of breath, and cough are the symptoms of this disorder which can be controlled by oxygen therapy, chemical pleurodesis, and chest tube drainage.
To reduce the risk of developing these complications, it is essential to properly diagnose and treat cystic fibrosis. The best chest specialist in Siliguri may perform certain sweating and genetic testing to confirm the disorder for recommending airway clearance procedures, medications, surgery, or pulmonary rehabilitation.
(Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cystic-fibrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353700)
