Over 3,300 children and adults in Canada have cystic fibrosis. One in every 25 Canadians carries the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis. In the 1960s, the median age for survival of Canadians with CF was four years.
Cystic fibrosis is no longer only a children's disease.
In Canada, the median age of survival has been over 30 years since the late 1980s. Researchers have identified over 1000 mutations of the CF gene. Scientists funded by the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation are among the world's leaders in CF research and treatment. CF has a range of symptoms. CF causes the body to produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus, which clogs the airways and leads to fatal infections.