The Cystic Fibrosis and Pulmonary Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When does my child need a pediatric pulmonologist?
A. Your child may need a pediatric pulmonologist if he or she

  • Has a chronic disease affecting the lungs, such as asthma*, cystic fibrosis, chronic pneumonia, chronic cough, chronic lung disease in premature infants, collagen vascular disease, tuberculosis, or immunological diseases or
  • If your child has had a life-threatening asthma attack requiring hospital admission in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
  • After three to six months of treatment ,your child’s cough, wheeze, shortness of breath (with or without exercise) continues
  • Additional tests are indicated, such as pulmonary function testing, exercise challenge testing or bronchoscopy
  • Patient requires additional education and guidanced

Q. Can I schedule my own appointment to see a pediatric pulmonologist?
A. Since we are a subspecialty of pediatrics, it is best to see your primary care physician for initial evaluation to determine if a consultation is necessary.

Q. Do I need a referral?
A. HMO: Yes
Exceptions: Avmed and Health Options
PPO: No
POS: No
PSN: Yes
CMS: Yes

Q. What insurances do you NOT accept?
A. Amerigroup. International insurances are considered on a case-by-case basis.

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Q. How do I reach a doctor after hours?
A. Call our main phone number: (954) 265-6333 and you will be directed to our after-hours service. They will obtain your information and page the on-call physician to assist you.

Q. If I am scheduled for an appointment and cannot make it, what do I do?
A. Call our main phone number: (954) 265-6333 and press option 2.

Q. If my child is a patient of the practice, what do I do if he or she has a fever?
A. Call our main phone number at (954) 265-6333, and you will be directed to our office staff or after-hours service. They will obtain your information and either notify a nurse or page the on-call physician to assist you.

Q. What do I do if there is a question on a medication or a problem with a prescription?
A. Call our main phone number at (954) 265-6333, and you will be directed to our office staff or after-hours service. They will obtain your information and either notify a nurse or page the on-call physician to assist you. Also, it is very important to bring all medications your child is taking when you come for your appointment.

Q. We are from out of town. Is there a place we can stay while our child is hospitalized?
A. Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation operates the Conine Clubhouse, a "home away from home" for families with children who have come from out of town to receive inpatient treatment at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. Rooms are available at the Clubhouse free of charge, based on availability.

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Q. I had a great experience. Where do I send a note?
A. Division of Pediatric Outpatient Specialty
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
3341 Johnson Street
Hollywood, FL 33021

Q. What are asthma triggers?
A. Asthma symptoms can be brought on by a variety of triggers such as:

Q. Can my child participate in sports/physical activity?
A. Exercise is very important. If coughing or wheezing occurs from exercise, then medications may need to be taken prior to those type of activities.

Q. Can asthma be cured?
A. There is no cure for asthma. However, asthma can be controlled with appropriate management and treatment. A child with asthma can have normal or near-normal lung function with appropriate management and medications.

Q. Will my child outgrow his/her asthma?
A. It is difficult to tell who will outgrow asthma. Some children who wheeze early in life will outgrow their asthma, and some will continue to have persistent wheezing. Some babies who wheeze with viral respiratory illnesses will stop wheezing as they grow as their airways get bigger. If the child has atopic dermatitis(eczema) or if a parent has asthma, there is a greater chance that the child will have persistent wheezing. Some children have asthma symptoms that improve during adolescence, while others worsen. Symptoms in young children seem to resolve, but their asthma can flare up later in life.

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Q. Will my child become less sensitive to asthma medications if they are taken on a daily basis?
A. No. Your child needs to use the asthma medications as prescribed by your healthcare provider. Changes may need to be made, but that will be related to changes in asthma symptoms or if a new medication comes out that may be more effective.

Q. Are inhaled steroids dangerous?
A. Inhaled steroids that are used to treat asthma are a safe and effective way to treat/ control asthma. These medications should be taken as prescribed. Inhaled steroids that are used to treat asthma are not the same as steroids that are used to build muscle by athletes.

Q. What is cystic fibrosis?
A. Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening disease that causes mucus to build up and clog some of the organs in the body, mainly in the lungs and pancreas. When mucus clogs the lungs, it can make breathing difficult. The thick mucus can cause bacteria (or germs) to get stuck in the airways, which causes inflammation (or swelling) and infections that can leads to lung damage.

Mucus also can block the pancreas and digestive tract. The mucus stops digestive enzymes from getting to the intestines. The body needs these enzymes to break down food, which provides important nutrients to help us grow and stay healthy. People with cystic fibrosis often need to replace these enzymes with capsules that they take with their meals and snacks to help digest the food.

Q. How do people get cystic fibrosis?
A. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease. That means people inherit it from their parents through their genes (or DNA). The defective gene that is responsible for causing cystic fibrosis is on chromosome 7. To have cystic fibrosis, a person must inherit two copies of the defective CF gene – one copy from each parent. If both parents are carriers of the CF gene (i.e., they each have one copy of the defective gene), their child will have a 25 percent chance of inheriting both defective copies and having cystic fibrosis, a 50 percent chance of inheriting one defective copy and being a carrier, and a 25 percent chance of not having CF or carrying the gene.

Q. Who gets cystic fibrosis?
A. Approximately 30,000 people in the United States have cystic fibrosis. About one in every 31 Americans is a carrier of the defective CF gene. Carriers do not have the disease. The disease is most common in Caucasians, but all races can be affected.
The severity of cystic fibrosis symptoms is different from person to person. The most common symptoms are:

  • Very salty-tasting skin
  • Persistent coughing, at times with phlegm
  • Frequent lung infections, such as pneumonia or bronchitis
  • Wheezing or shortness of breath
  • Poor growth/weight gain in spite of a good appetite
  • Frequent greasy, bulky stools or difficulty in bowel movements
  • Small, fleshy growths in the nose called nasal polyps

The severity of CF symptoms is partly based on the types of CF gene mutations (defects). Currently there are more than 1,500 different mutations of the CF gene.

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Q. How is CF diagnosed?
A. A doctor who sees the symptoms or is suspicious of Cystic fibrosis will order either a sweat test or a genetic test to confirm the diagnosis.
A sweat test is the most common test used to diagnose cystic fibrosis. A small electrode is placed on the skin (usually on the arm) to stimulate the sweat glands. Sweat is collected and the amount of chloride, a component of salt in the sweat, is measured. The best place to receive a reliable sweat test is at a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-accredited care center.

In a genetic test, a blood sample is taken and sent to a laboratory to see if any of the various mutations of the CF gene are found. A genetic test is often used if the results from a sweat test are unclear. 

Q. Is cystic fibrosis fatal?
A. Currently, there is no cure for cystic fibrosis. However, specialized medical care, aggressive drug treatments and therapies, along with proper CF nutrition, can lengthen and improve the quality of life for those with CF.

For referral to a physician for your child, please call Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Physician Referral Service toll-free at (866) JDCH-DOC. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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