CBD in the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease associated with lung and nutritional problems. It consists of a dysfunction of the exocrine glands that produce abnormal secretions, i.e. thicker mucus.

May affect:

• Lungs;
• Digestive system
• sweat glands
• Genitourinary system

It is a rare and progressive pathology that mainly, but not exclusively, affects the respiratory tract. Due to the lack of production of an enzyme by the pancreas, all bodily secretions (mucus, sweat, digestive juices) – which should be fluid – become thick, viscous and end up causing fibrosis in the affected organs. The lungs lose their respiratory capacity, and the intestines may become obstructed and digestion does not occur.

Cystic fibrosis has no cure, and many treatments have been used to improve the quality of life of those suffering from this disease.

How can CBD help?

CBD can help improve the quality of life for both cystic fibrosis patients and patients with other Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases, such as asthma, recurrent wheezing in infants, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, primary ciliary dyskinesia, bronchiectasis not associated with cystic fibrosis, plastic bronchitis and bronchiolitis obliterans.

In all Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases, the main pulmonary symptom is chronic cough, which results in changes in the airways, since there are no receptors for coughing in the alveoli. Another characteristic is chronic dilation of the bronchi with purulent mucus phlegm, as is the case with cystic fibrosis.

CBD is effective in treating these pathologies, in particular for two reasons:

• suppresses the inflammatory process of the body's cytokines. Inflammatory cytokines are responsible for inflammatory distress syndrome – which results in pulmonary fibrosis – the use of CBD slows the progression of lung pathologies to more serious conditions.

• improves the patient's immune system response, reducing the risk of recurrent pneumonia and the number of frequent hospitalizations for decolonization of super-resistant bacteria present in the lungs - which proliferate in the mucus that remains in the bronchi.

In addition to the above, CBD reduces the number of lung inflammations, reduces the risk of developing pneumonia and reduces the number of hospital deaths caused by respiratory diseases.

The use of CBD in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases has fewer side effects than conventional treatments and very promising results.