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Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease passed through families, where patients inherit two copies (one from each parent) of the defective CF gene. People with one copy of it do not have the disease, but they are carriers.

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A sweat or blood test is used to see if someone has CS, where they check for high levels of chloride in the body. Most patients are diagnosed by the age of 2.

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There are many support groups available for people with CF, like CF Peer Connect, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and etc. Support groups provide an opportunity to talk and learn from someone who has also been affected by CF and gone through similar experiences.

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At the moment, researchers from institutes like CFRI (Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute) are developing new medicines specifically focusing on thick mucus and function of the lungs. Some new advances include discovering new ways ASOs (antisense oligonucleotides) may help cells produce missing proteins in CF patients, studying CFTR protein folding and the use of modulators for patients with mutations not usually eligible for modulator therapy, and combining non-invasive, radiation-free imaging and proteomic biomarkers to diagnose and monitor lung disease progression in young CS patients.

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Cystic Fibrosis also known as CF, is inherited disorder that affects the lungs as well as the digestive system and often times can effect other organs.

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Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited disorder that is caused by a mutation to the CFTR gene which regulates the movement of salt in-between cells. The type of mutation often dictates the degree of the condition. While it is inherited one must inherit the genes from both parents in order to display the disorder and those with only one the gene often carry the disorder.

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While many people living with Cystic Fibrosis are diagnosed prenatal or usually before the age of two, some are diagnosed later on in life. The most common test performed for diagnosis is a sweat chloride test which measures the levels of salt present in ones sweat, and of course they can also be tested genetically in the same way parents are tested. While usually people are often diagnoses at a young age the amount of variation that can cause CF often makes it complicated or diagnose.

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As Cystic Fibrosis is inheritable parents can choose to perform a blood to see if they carry the gene and to figure out the chances of their child receiving the gene and whether or not they might be affected by it. Their also exists testing for those who are already in the early stages of pregnancy which a doctor can get genetic material from the fetus and test it for the disorder.

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Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis include persistent coughing with phlegm, salty-tasting skin, lung infections like pneumonia or bronchitis, shortness of breath, poor growth or weight gain, bulky stools, and etc. Because CF specifically affects cells that produce mucus, sweat, and digestive juices, the most significant symptom is thick mucus/phlegm, which leads to long-term effects of respiratory infections and chronic lung diseases that can become life-threatening.

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Looking at the entire world population, there are only about 70,000 people carrying CS and about 30,000 are Americans. CS is a disease common within the white population in the U.S. (specifically Caucasians of Northern European ancestry), occurring in 1 in approximately 3,000 white newborns. In additional data, more than 75% of CS patients are diagnosed by 2 years old, and males and females have roughly equal numbers in diagnosis.

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There is currently no official cure for CS, but there are possible treatments that could help control and reduce symptoms. Treatments of CS include different antibiotics, dietary supplements, and medicines that could help treat chest infections, make mucus thinner, widen airways, reduce inflammation, and etc. The list of antibiotics include Tobramycin, Azithromycin, Meropenem, Aztreonam, among many more.

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Many CS patients can live past college and careers, but when one attains lung disease, it will eventually worsen into disability. As of today, the average life span of people with CS who live to adulthood is approximately 44 years. The most common cause of death is respiratory failure from lung disease.

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About Cystic Fibrosis. (n.d.). Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://www.cff.org/intro-cf/about-cystic-fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis. (n.d.). NHS inform. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/lungs-and-airways/cystic-fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis. (2021, July 6). MedlinePlus. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/cystic-fibrosis/

Cystic Fibrosis Research. (2022, March 24). NHLBI. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/research/cystic-fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis - Symptoms and causes. (2021, November 23). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cystic-fibrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353700

“Cystic Fibrosis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 23 Nov. 2021, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cystic-fibrosis

“Cystic Fibrosis: Prenatal Screening and Diagnosis.” ACOG, https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/cystic-fibrosis-prenatal-screening-and-diagnosis

“Diagnosis.” National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/cystic-fibrosis/diagnosis

Social Support. (n.d.). Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://www.cff.org/social-support

20Connect%20is%20a,experiences%2C%20such%20as%20lung%20transplant.

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The NHLBI leads and supports research on cystic fibrosis to develop new treatments and ways to improve quality of life.