cystic fibrosis

cystic fibrosis   n.   Abbr. CF A hereditary disease of the exocrine glands, usually developing during early childhood and affecting mainly the pancreas, respiratory system, and sweat glands. It is characterized by the production of abnormally viscous mucus by the affected glands, usually resulting in chronic respiratory infections and impaired pancreatic function. Also called mucoviscidosis.

cystic fibrosis [(sis-tik feye-broh-sis)]

A congenital and chronic disease that affects certain glands in the body, particularly the sweat glands, the pancreas, and the glands in the mucous membranes of the respiratory system. Cystic fibrosis causes recurring respiratory disorders (see respiration) and interferes with the production of enzymes by the pancreas.

Main Entry: cystic fibrosis
Function: noun
: a common disease especially in Caucasian populations that appears usually in early childhood, is inherited as a recessivemonogenic trait, involves functional disorder of the exocrine glands, and is marked especially by faulty digestion due to a deficiency of pancreatic enzymes, by difficulty in breathing due to mucusaccumulation in airways, and by excessive loss of salt in the sweat called also fibrocystic disease of the pancreas, mucoviscidosis

cystic fibrosis n.
Abbr. CF
A hereditary metabolic disorder of the exocrine glands, usually developing during early childhood and affecting mainly the pancreas, respiratory system, and sweat glands. It is marked by the production of abnormally viscous mucus by the affected glands, usually resulting in chronic respiratory infections and impaired pancreatic function. Also called Clarke-Hadfield syndrome, fibrocystic disease of pancreas, mucoviscidosis.