What are the causes of CF?

People have cystic fibrosis (CF) because they have inherited a faulty gene from both of their parents. Cystic fibrosis can't be caught or developed. If you are not born with CF you will never have it, but you could be a CF gene carrier.

One in 25 people carry the CF gene. For someone to be born with CF, both parents must carry the faulty gene. If both parents have the gene, there is a 25% chance the child will have CF. If both parents carry the gene there is also a 50% chance of the child being a gene carrier but not having CF and a 25% chance they will not have the CF gene.

Everyone with CF will have two faulty or mutated CF genes. There are over 2,000 known mutations that can cause CF, and it is important to know which ones you have. Watch this video to explore more.

What are the symptoms of CF?

Cystic fibrosis is a progressive disease that involves a number of different organs. Therefore, people with cystic fibrosis can have a variety of symptoms, depending on their age and the severity of their disease. The severity of disease is largely determined by the specific CFTR mutations. But severity of disease is also related to the type of infections that are present in the airway, as well as several modifier genes, which in some cases appears to alter the expected clinical features. More than 75 percent of people are diagnosed with cystic fibrosis by age 1, most by state-run newborn screening programs. However, in people with less severe symptoms born before widespread implementation of newborn screening, the diagnosis may be delayed for decades.

Stuffy Nose	Wheezing
Greasy and Bulky Stools	Poor Growth