• Question: would you have a liver transplant if you had cysitic fibrosis despite the risks?

    Asked by ehab2k11 to Steve, Julian, Jemma, Eoin, Charlie on 19 Mar 2011.
    • Photo: Julian Rayner

      Julian Rayner answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      Hi ehab2k11. I am not a medical doctor, so can’t really comment. Most importantly, questions like this are completely dependent on the specifics of the case – what is risky for some patients is less risky for others.

      More generally, making medicine more “personalised” is one of the big hopes for the next few decades. Because everyone is different, different people react to certain treatments in different ways. We are only just realising why that is, on a genetic level. The hope is that if you can tell in advance from someone’s genes what treatments are most likely to work, your doctor will be able to make more informed choices about which treatment to use.

    • Photo: Eoin Lettice

      Eoin Lettice answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      Hi ehab,
      I’m afraid I don’t know enough about this illness to be able to make such a decision. i think I would ask my doctor what he or she would reccomend and then make the best decision on all the available information.

      Eoin

    • Photo: Jemma Ransom

      Jemma Ransom answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      Well the simple answer to that is yes! Cystic fibrosis is an awful disease with no cure, it causes liver disease, pancreatic disease, stresses the heart, and irreversibly damages the lungs. It has been shown that patients of this kind really benefit from liver, heart, and lung transplants, and with the right patient the benefits of the surgery far outweigh the risks.

    • Photo: Stephen Moss

      Stephen Moss answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      Hi ehab2k11

      It’s difficult to imagine myself in that situation, but if was absolutely necessary then I would have the operation. In fact, I had a big operation last year and it’s amazing the surgical skills that doctors have today. The risks are always getting smaller.

    • Photo: Charlie Ryan

      Charlie Ryan answered on 19 Mar 2011:

      hi ehab2k11!
      I wasn’t sure about this question – i’m no doctor – but i told my mum (a nurse) about it and she said you have your diseases mixed up! Apparently cystic fibrosis affects the lungs, not the liver! And i would never dream of arguing with my mum!

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