Question

Lauren is a senior at a nearby high school. She is a good student who does her work on weekdays and likes to hang with her friends on the weekend. A few months ago, Lauren developed a persistent cough that has worsened over time. She also has had trouble breathing over the past week or so. Her parents decided it was time she see a doctor so they made an appointment. Lauren arrived at the doctor's office the following day. The doctor asked her a number of questions about her health history and daily habits. Lauren responded that she had been sick a lot her whole life. She said, “I just seem to always not feel good.” She also started smoking cigarettes (about 2 per day) her freshman year of high school. The doctor decided it was necessary to take a biopsy (sample) of the cells that line the bronchus (passageway to the lungs). After several days, the biopsy report has come back along with a picture of the bronchial cells. Lauren’s bronchial cells were badly damaged. These cells are responsible for mucus and dirt moving up-and-out of her respiratory system. It is highly unusual that smoking can cause that much damage so quickly, so the doctors ordered other tests too. The doctors suspect that Lauren has a genetic condition that was made worse by her smoking.

A.Patau Syndrome
B.Tay-Sachs Disease
C.Cystic Fibrosis
D.Turner Syndrome
E.Sickle Cell Anemia

Answer 1

Cilia have been damaged

Step-by-step explanation:

If the cilia are damaged the mucous and dirt do not come out of the lungs leading to clogging of the bronchia. Lauren smoking habit has damaged her cilia and thus had troubled breathing. The bronchi of the lung are lined with cilia.

Cilia are tiny hair-like projections that keep the airways clean by sweeping away mucus and dust particles and keeping the lungs clear. When cilia do not work the air passage gets clogged with dust and dirt causing trouble breathing.

Answer 2

Patau syndrome is something someone is born with, the person will have a cleft lip, very abnormally small eyes, possibly a missing eye or maybe both, and the positioning of their nose will make it very hard to breathe. The answer is not A.

Tay-Sachs disease is a disease where a baby has a louder response to sounds, red spots on its eyes, the baby might not be able to function properly, it might not be able to turn over, crawl, or sit, the baby will also have weakened muscles, possibly turning towards paralysis, the baby will also have seizures, vision loss which can result in the baby becoming permanently blind, and hearing loss which can result in the baby becoming deaf. Since Lauren isn't a baby, B is not the answer.

Cystic fibrosis can have results such as lung infection, pneumonia, wheezing, coughs that contain thick mucus, possibly constipation or diarrhea, trouble with gaining weight or growing in height, and sweating. The answer may be C.

Turner syndrome is something that someone is born with, the person may have a wider neck, lower ears, a broad chest, a higher palate in their mouth, their arms may turn outwards at their elbow, and their fingernails and toenails are skinnier than the average person's and will be turned upwards. The answer is not D.

Sickle cell anemia can cause pain, swelled hands and feet, infections, delayed body growth, vision problems, and anemia. Since Lauren isn't anemic, the answer is not E.

The answer is C, cystic fibrosis.

Let me know if this is the correct answer. :)