Case Study

Case study part

4. Explain the reasoning behind the appearance of his sputum.

The Reason behind the appearance of his sputum is that Sam is suffering from cystic fibrosis. Which causes sputum. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes the body to produce thick and sticky mucus. Sputum is mucus that is coughed up from the lower airways. The function of epithelium is mainly to line surfaces in the body, and lies on top of connective tissue, to which it is anchored by a basement membrane consisting mainly of collagen fibers

6. Explain how this disease affects the function of the pulmonary system on a cellular level. You might want to diagram a cell to help with the explanation. Make sure you specifically address osmosis (water movement) and ion transport of the cell.

The problem with cystic fibrosis begins at the cellular level with a gene causing a malfunctioning CFTR proteins. CFTR is a chloride transporter found in cells. This protein controls the flow of chloride ions out of these cells, which causes water to exit the cell. The water outside of the cell gives the mucus a normal, watery structure. With cystic fibrosis, the CFTR does not allow chloride ions out of the cells. The water doesn’t leave the cells and the mucus becomes thick and sticky. Mucus is harder to evacuate and starts block the respiratory passageways, and which leads to serious infections

http://pt851.wikidot.com/cystic-fibrosis-cell-bio

http://www.normalbreathing.com/cystic-fibrosis-symptoms.php

http://www.medicinenet.com/cystic_fibrosis/article.htm