Eventually, however, lung disease places increasing limits on daily life. Thanks to the advances in research and clinical care, growing numbers of children with CF are surviving into adulthood. Today, in Canada, the median age of survival is over 30 years. At present, over one-third of all Canadians with CF are over the age of 18 years. These men and women are pursuing post-secondary education, careers, and many are having families of their own.
Cystic fibrosis is an incurable disease.
Comprehensive treatment programmes have dramatically extended the life expectancy of persons with CF, and many affected individuals are living into their 20's and 30's, and even beyond. However, mainly because of lung disease, children and adults who have CF face foreshortened lives. Through its research and clinical programmes, the Foundation helps to provide outstanding care for affected individuals, while pursuing the quest of a cure or control for the disease. Recent years have seen remarkable progress in CF research. Since the Canadian discovery, in 1989, of the defective gene responsible for CF, an increasingly global assault on the disease has brought us closer to a solution.