Cystic Fibrosis

Introduction

What is Cystic Fibrosis?
Cystic fibrosis is a severe, genetically determined disease involving both the lungs and gastrointestinal tract, as well as other organs. It occurs in about 1 in 2,000 live births among white children and at a far lower rate in black and Asian children. At present, only 50 percent of those diagnosed as having cystic fibrosis as infants or young children live beyond their late twenties. However, this precentage is rising as an increasing number of children and young adults with cystic fibrosis are only mildly affected and survive into adult life. Intensive research into the disease continues in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.