Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
What is it?
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disorder that affects the mucus-producing glands. Mucus is thick and obstructs air passages in the lungs and leads to infection. It also causes dysfunction of the sweat and salivary glands, and it blocks the enzymes secreted by the pancreatic duct, resulting in problems with digestion.
Inheritance and Frequency
Incidence is one in 3,200 Caucasian live births, one in 15,000 African American live births, and one in 31,000 Asian American live births.
Signs & Symptoms
Cystic fibrosis causes abnormally thick, sticky mucus, breathing difficultiess, bacterial infection of the lungs, chronic coughing and wheezing, and digestion problems leading to diarrhea, malnutrition, poor growth and weight loss.
Long Term Effects
Cystic fibrosis can cause lung disease and permanent lung damage, failure to grow, clubbed fingers and toes, and--in affected men--infertility.
Treatment
Treatment and therapy options include airway clearance techniques; inhaled medications; antibiotics and other drugs; and dietitian-directed dietary programs specific to the affected individual.
History
Cystic fibrosis research has led to development of treatments that enable affected individuals to live longer and have better quality of life than was possible in years past. A good source of current information on CF is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Screening
Visit the What
Does Your State Screen page to learn about your state's newborn screening program.
Supplemental
Screening
If you live in a state that
does not perform screening on its newborns for all detectable disorders, there
are laboratories that will provide this screening for you no matter the state of your residence. For more information about supplemental screening,
visit our supplemental screening page. Also visit our frequently
asked questions page for more information on newborn screening.
Other Sites
of Reference
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Detailed descriptions of Cystic Fibrosis, treatment, and research
- Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis & Genetic Disorders Group
- Cystic Fibrosis Screening - Oregon DHS publication (PDF file)
- GeneReviews - Cystic Fibrosis
- Genetics Home Reference- Cystic Fibrosis
- OMIM - Cystic Fibrosis
Support Groups
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