OET Listening Parte C: Cystic Fibrosis Treatment Innovations

Cystic fibrosis is a condition that causes mucus to be thicker and stickier than it should be.

Dr. Tadida Hossain specializes in cystic fibrosis treatment

and is here to share her thoughts on caring for people with the condition.

Tadida, can you tell us a bit more about patients who suffer from cystic fibrosis?

Absolutely.

Sufferers tend to carry two to five times as much salt in their bodies as those without the condition,

so you can see why their mucus is thicker than average.

Treatment for these patients is usually quite time-consuming and repetitive.

Patients are often required to stay in hospital for long stretches

and as the symptoms of the condition begin to present very early on in the patient's life,

many of my patients are young people

and so we tend to see lots of patients with cystic fibrosis finding these hospital visits frustrating.

In fact, throughout the UK,

about 80% of patients with cystic fibrosis who are hospitalized

report feeling at least minimal levels of depression.

How about young patients who aren't currently hospitalized?

What can be challenging about their treatment?

Well, patients can be required to take around 30 pills a day to keep cystic fibrosis under control.

So it's understandable that teenagers and young people

who just want to be free and independent might resent this ordeal

if they think they can get away with it.

One of the most difficult things we have to contend with is the fact that

if patients stop taking their medication or doing their daily breathing treatments,

their condition won't immediately worsen.

Instead, it will gradually become more severe

until they contract a serious infection which puts their lives at risk.

So what approaches do you use when treating patients with cystic fibrosis?

Well, we've found distraction therapy to be extremely useful.

We're incredibly lucky to have received a donation of a number of virtual reality headsets

following their success in a number of treatment trials.

We use the virtual reality headsets to transport the patient to outdoor settings,

often corresponding to the activities they're required to do with us.

When they complete breathing exercises on a stationary bike, for example,

the VR headsets display a virtual outdoor bike ride.

Our patients find it helpful to pretend to be somewhere else during treatment,

and it's often easier for us to administer breathing treatments to patients using these headsets,

as they're more relaxed when they're not focused on the actuality of the test.

So what sorts of changes have you seen in your patients as a result of these methods?

One of my patients, a 24-year-old man with cystic fibrosis

who was in hospital waiting for a lung transplant,

well, he found treatment very difficult at first.

He was preoccupied by his need for a transplant and frustrated by feelings of powerlessness.

He would often resist treatment.

We started using the virtual reality systems with him as soon as we got them,

and it took a while for him to get on board.

But when he did, it was like someone had breathed new life into him.

Not only did he stop hindering his treatment, he actually began to look forward to it.

He's even started helping us to think about other ways we can improve the experiences of our patients,

like improving social interaction.

Ah... yes, I understand that there are difficulties involved in patient communication.

Hmm, we're looking into the possibility of instant messaging functions between patients

and even virtual games that they can play against each other.

Unfortunately, patients with cystic fibrosis have to be kept apart to avoid cross infection.

It's just one more cross to bear for our patients that they can't talk to those going through the same thing.

Our patients get plenty of interaction with myself and the rest of the staff,

but we'd like to make sure they have access to a network of fellow sufferers too, for support and advice.

I see.

That all sounds quite futuristic.

Are there any other advances on the horizon for the treatment of cystic fibrosis?

Well, there's a new drug that's been in the news recently.

It's a combination of lumacaftor and ivacaftor.

You might know it by the brand name Orkambi.

The drug works by improving the level of water and salt in the body,

thereby reducing the thick mucus that causes illness and respiratory issues in those with cystic fibrosis.

Even more exciting and futuristic, though, is the possibility of gene therapy,

where the genetic mutation that causes cystic fibrosis in individuals is replaced with a healthy gene.

This would effectively cure those with the condition

and significantly extend the lives of thousands of people

and remove the need for lengthy stays in hospital.