In most cases, CF is diagnosed during childhood.
People with atypical cystic fibrosis may be adults by the time they're diagnosed with atypical CF. Frequent lung infections (recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis).Failure to thrive (inability to gain weight despite having a good appetite and taking in enough calories).What are the symptoms of cystic fibrosis (CF)?Ĭhildren who have classic CF have the following symptoms: If your family doesn’t have a history of cystic fibrosis, the person with the gene variant is called the carrier. In fact, many families don’t have a family history of CF. Your parents don’t have to have cystic fibrosis for you to have CF. (An older name for gene variant is gene mutation.) CF is said to be recessive because you need to have two gene variants to have the condition itself. People who have CF inherit two faulty genes, one from each parent. CF affects about 1 in 17,000 Black newborns and 1 in 31,000 newborns of Asian descent.Ĭystic fibrosis is genetic. How common is cystic fibrosis (CF)?Īmong white children in the U.S., the rate of CF cases is 1 in 2,500 to 3,500 newborns. “Typical” or classic CF generally shows up in the first few years of a child’s life. The other “atypical” thing about it is that it usually comes on much later in life. There’s also a form of disease called “atypical cystic fibrosis.” It’s different from classic CF because it’s a milder form and may only affect one organ. CF, which is chronic (long-lasting) and progressive (getting worse over time), also affects your liver, sinus, intestines and sex organs. Babies and children who have CF might not be able to absorb enough nutrients from food. Mucus also blocks the ducts in the pancreas, causing problems with digesting food. If you do have CF, thick mucus clogs the airways and makes it difficult to breathe. If you don’t have CF, the mucus that lines organs and body cavities, such as your lungs and nose, is slippery and watery. What is cystic fibrosis (CF)?Ĭystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic (inherited) disease that causes sticky, thick mucus to build up in organs, including your lungs and pancreas.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) causes sticky, thick mucus to build up in your organs.