Cystic Fibrosis
What is Cystic Fibrosis (CF)?
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common lethal inherited recessive disease of Caucasians. It affects approximately 1 in 2500 newborns and 50,000 individuals in total worldwide. At present there, is no cure for cystic fibrosis but life expectancy has increased with standard treatments from less than 10 years in the 1960s to an average of 30 to 40 years now.
The disease affects the lungs, gut, pancreas, liver and reproductive tract, but it is the consequences of the disease in the lungs that are most important. Repeated cycles of infection lead to continuous inflammation, damage to the lungs and eventually respiratory failure and death. It is hoped that research into new forms of treatment will lead to further improvements both in the quality and length of life for people with CF.