Cystic Fibrosis

Key Stage 4

Meaning

Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited disorder which causes the goblet cells to produce too much mucus.

About Cystic Fibrosis

The goblet cells which are found in the breathing system and digestive system produce too much mucus which can block small passages causing difficulty breathing and absorbing food.

Cystic Fibrosis is caused by a recessive allele and can be passed from parent to offspring.

In this Punnett Square the Cystic Fibrosis recessive allele is represented with a lower case 'c' while the healthy variant of the allele is dominant and shown with a capital 'C'. This shows how two heterozygous parents who do not have symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis may carry the disease and pass it on to their offspring. This shows there is a 25% chance of a child inheriting Cystic Fibrosis.

Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis

Too much mucus building up in the lungs leading to breathing difficulty and persistent coughing.

Malnutrition as food cannot be properly digested due to the build up of mucus in the digestive system.

References

AQA

Cystic fibrosis, page 223, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Biology, CGP, AQA

Cystic fibrosis, page 271, GCSE Biology, CGP, AQA

Cystic fibrosis, page 71, GCSE Combined Science; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA

Cystic fibrosis, page 93, GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA

Cystic fibrosis, pages 191-2, GCSE Biology, Hodder, AQA

Cystic fibrosis, pages 212-213, GCSE Biology; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA

Cystic fibrosis, pages 240, 254-7, 262, 264-5, 307, GCSE Biology; Student Book, Collins, AQA

Cystic fibrosis, pages 39, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy 2, Hodder, AQA