Cystic Health Dictionary

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Cystic: From 1 Different Sources

Cystic Fibrosis

This is the most common serious genetic disease in Caucasian children, with an incidence of about one per 2,500 births, and more than 6,000 patients in the UK (30,000 in the USA). It is an autosomal recessive disorder of the mucus-secreting glands of the lungs, the pancreas, the mouth, and the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the sweat glands of the skin. The defective gene is sited on chromosome 7 which encodes for a protein, cystic ?brosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Individuals who inherit the gene only on one set of chromosomes can, however, carry the defect into successive generations. Where parents have a child with cystic ?brosis, they have a one-infour chance of subsequent children having the disease. They should seek GENETIC COUNSELLING.

The disorder is characterised by failure to gain weight in spite of a good appetite, by repeated attacks of bronchitis (with BRONCHIECTASIS developing at a young age), and by the passage of loose, foul-smelling and slimy stools (faeces). AMNIOCENTESIS, which yields amniotic ?uid along with cells shed from the fetus’s skin, can be used to diagnose cystic ?brosis prenatally. The levels of various enzymes can be measured in the ?uid and are abnormal when the fetus is affected by cystic ?brosis. Neonatal screening is possible using a test on blood spots – immunoreactive trypsin (IRT).

In children with symptoms or a positive family history, the disease can be tested for by measuring sweat chloride and sodium. This detects the abnormal amount of salt that is excreted via the sweat glands when cystic ?brosis is present. Con?rmation is by genetic testing.

Treatment This consists basically of regular physiotherapy and postural drainage, antibiotics and the taking of pancreatic enzyme tablets and vitamins. Some children need STEROID treatment and all require nutritional support. The earlier treatment is started, the better the results. Whereas two decades ago, only 12 per cent of affected children survived beyond adolescence, today 75 per cent survive into adult life, and an increasing number are surviving into their 40s. Patients with end-stage disease can be treated by heart-lung transplantation (with their own heart going to another recipient). Research is underway on the possible use of GENE THERAPY to control the disorder. Parents of children with cystic ?brosis, seeking help and advice, can obtain this from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.... cystic fibrosis

Cysticercosis

This disease rarely occurs except in Central Europe, Ethiopia, South Africa, and part of Asia. It results from ova (eggs) being swallowed or regurgitated into the stomach from an adult pork tapeworm in the intestine. In the stomach the larvae escape from the eggs and are absorbed. They are carried in the blood to various parts of the body, most commonly the subcutaneous tissue and skeletal muscle, where they develop and form cysticerci. When super?cial, they may be felt under the skin as small pea-like bodies. Although they cause no symptoms here, cysts may also develop in the brain. Five years later the larvae die, and the brain-tissue reaction may result in epileptic ?ts, obscure neurological disorders, and personality changes. The cysts calcify at this stage, though to a greater degree in the muscles than the brain, allowing them to be seen radiologically. Epilepsy starting in adult life, in anyone who has previously lived in an endemic area, should suggest the possibility of cysticercosis. (See also TAENIASIS.)

Treatment Most important is prevention of the initial tapeworm infection, by ensuring that pork is well cooked before it is eaten. Nurses and others attending to a patient harbouring an adult tapeworm must be careful to avoid ingesting ova from contaminated hands. The tapeworm itself can be destroyed with NICLOSAMIDE. Brain infections are treated with sedatives and anti-convulsants, surgery rarely being necessary. Most patients make a good recovery.... cysticercosis

Cystic Duct

The tube that runs from the gall-bladder (see LIVER) and joins up with the hepatic duct (formed from the bile ducts) to form the common BILE DUCT. The BILE produced by the liver cells is drained through this system and enters the small intestine to help in the digestion of food.... cystic duct

Cysticercus

Larval stage of tapeworms belonging to the genus Taenia. Also known as bladderworms. The cysticercus of the Pork Tapeworm is called Cysticercus cellulosae and is the cause of human cysticercosis.... cysticercus

Cysticercoid

A larval form of a tapeworm (e.g. Hymenolepis) which has a solid body and no bladder.... cysticercoid

Osteitis Fibrosa Cystica

A pathological rather than a clinical entity. The term refers to the replacement of BONE by a highly cellular and vascular connective tissue. It is the result of osteoclastic and osteoblastic activity and is due to excessive PARATHYROID activity. It is thus seen in a proportion of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and in patients with uraemic osteodystrophy; that is, the secondary hyperparathyroidism that occurs in patients with chronic renal disease.... osteitis fibrosa cystica

Hygroma, Cystic

A lymphangioma that occurs around the head and neck, the armpits, or the groin and contains clear fluid. Cystic hygromas are usually present from birth and disappear naturally from the age of about 2.... hygroma, cystic

Cystic Hygroma

a collection of fluid behind the neck of a fetus, occasionally extending laterally to involve the sides of the neck (see hydrops fetalis). In its mildest form it is evidenced by an increased nuchal translucency (see nuchal translucency scanning). Cystic hygroma may be a diagnostic feature of chromosomal abnormality (e.g. Down’s syndrome, Turner’s syndrome).... cystic hygroma

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