Re: Study - salt & electrolytes affect bactericidal effectiveness in CF patients

[Guest guest]

CF is mostly genetically determined - by homozygosity for (ie, having

2 copies of) recessive alleles of the CFTR gene (allele = a

particular gene variant). However, people homozygous for CF alleles

vary quite widely in the severity of the disease, so other factors,

probably including other genes, clearly do have an impact.

CFTR is an ion transporter - specifically a chloride transporter. The

abnormal function of this transporter in CF leads to excess mucus in

the lungs, which favors infection by P. aeruginosa (and possibly

other bacteria; I dont know). Therefore, it seems quite possible to

me that the impact of ion intake on CF might have to do with this

gene, and might thus be unique to CF.

Also, IMO its hard to exclude that therapeutic results from salt

consumption in CFS might have to do with blood volume/pressure rather

than microbicidality. I'm not very educated on this blood volume

stuff. Mark London recently made an interesting post on it to

CFSFMexp. All I really know about it is when I was very ill I often

measured my BP at ~85/45 using a home meter, and at those points my

heart rate was very high, I could barely walk, and I had a profound

urge to blow my brains out. Inflammatory mediators such as TNFa and

nitric oxide are potently vasodilatory (ie they relax and dilate

blood vessels) and were probably the cause of this hypotension. Those

mediators can cause agony in many ways, but low blood pressure might

be an important one.

> This is interesting & strikes me as really strange. Since Cystic

> Fibrosis patients get a lot of respiratory infections, there's a

lot

> of research on it.

>

> This study is actually showing that the presence of increased salt

and

> electrolytes decreases these patients' natural ability to fight

airway

> infections. In particular, staph aureus and p. aeruginosa. Not only

is

> it interesting that we naturally have this bactericidal ability in

our

> airways, what's happening with CF patients seems to be a complete

180

> from the reports of our groups' positive experiences with

electrolytes

> and especially increased salt intake for fighting infections. I'm

> wondering if there's any correlation or significance for us.

Thoughts?

>

> http://www.columbia.edu/itc/biology/pollack/w4065

/client_edit/readings/

> cell85_229.pdf

>

[Guest guest]

Totally agree about the salt/blood volume thing. Many CFS patients

get dx'd with neurally mediated hypotension (bp lowers upon

standing), which makes you feel really lousy, just as you described

your symptoms. The recommended treatment? Salt. So it makes sense

that a lot of people who are increasing salt intake feel better

because of their blood pressure, not because of its bactericidal

abilitites.

penny

>

> CF is mostly genetically determined - by homozygosity for (ie,

having

> 2 copies of) recessive alleles of the CFTR gene (allele = a

> particular gene variant). However, people homozygous for CF

alleles

> vary quite widely in the severity of the disease, so other

factors,

> probably including other genes, clearly do have an impact.

>

> CFTR is an ion transporter - specifically a chloride transporter.

The

> abnormal function of this transporter in CF leads to excess mucus

in

> the lungs, which favors infection by P. aeruginosa (and possibly

> other bacteria; I dont know). Therefore, it seems quite possible

to

> me that the impact of ion intake on CF might have to do with this

> gene, and might thus be unique to CF.

>

> Also, IMO its hard to exclude that therapeutic results from salt

> consumption in CFS might have to do with blood volume/pressure

rather

> than microbicidality. I'm not very educated on this blood volume

> stuff. Mark London recently made an interesting post on it to

> CFSFMexp. All I really know about it is when I was very ill I

often

> measured my BP at ~85/45 using a home meter, and at those points

my

> heart rate was very high, I could barely walk, and I had a

profound

> urge to blow my brains out. Inflammatory mediators such as TNFa

and

> nitric oxide are potently vasodilatory (ie they relax and dilate

> blood vessels) and were probably the cause of this hypotension.

Those

> mediators can cause agony in many ways, but low blood pressure

might

> be an important one.

>

>

> > This is interesting & strikes me as really strange. Since Cystic

> > Fibrosis patients get a lot of respiratory infections, there's a

> lot

> > of research on it.

> >

> > This study is actually showing that the presence of increased

salt

> and

> > electrolytes decreases these patients' natural ability to fight

> airway

> > infections. In particular, staph aureus and p. aeruginosa. Not

only

> is

> > it interesting that we naturally have this bactericidal ability

in

> our

> > airways, what's happening with CF patients seems to be a

complete

> 180

> > from the reports of our groups' positive experiences with

> electrolytes

> > and especially increased salt intake for fighting infections.

I'm

> > wondering if there's any correlation or significance for us.

> Thoughts?

> >

> > http://www.columbia.edu/itc/biology/pollack/w4065

> /client_edit/readings/

> > cell85_229.pdf

> >

>