Cystic fibrosis or CF for short is a genetic disorder that causes problems with the lungs and digestion. It can also cause problems in the pancreas, liver, and kidneys. One of the saddest facts about Cystic Fibrosis is that there is no cure. Long-term sufferers have trouble breathing because of the mucus built up by the constant lung infections. Read below to find out more Cystic Fibrosis facts.
Five Cystic Fibrosis Facts
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- Cystic Fibrosis affects more than 30,000 people in the United States and more than 70,000 worldwide. (source) 75% of those are diagnosed with the disorder by 2 years old.
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- For CF to occur, a person must inherit a mutated copy of the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) gene from each parent, so two altogether. (source) There is a 25% chance of a child inheriting this gene if each parent is a carrier. A carrier of the disease has only one CFTR mutation and does not show symptoms.
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- The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the one health charity that spends the most per afflicted person in the US. (source) 83.2% of the foundations fundraising goes back to CF suffers breaking down to $9,089.02 per person.
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- Medical advances in CF treatment have expanded the life expectancy for sufferers well past their 40’s. (source) People who have Cystic Fibrosis are now living longer and healthier lives. So much so that today there are more adults living with CF than children.
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- Per year Cystic Fibrosis sufferers in the US can spend up to $33,691 on treatments, testing and therapy depending on the severity of their disease. (source)
