Approximately 1 in 25 women and men are carriers of this condition, even though they are completely healthy. Most cystic fibrosis carriers have no family history of affected children. If two cystic fibrosis carries have a child, that child has one chance in four of having the disease. There is now a simple blood test that can identify most cystic fibrosis carriers before they have an affected child. Cystic fibrosis can be diagnosed in the fetus early in pregnancy when both members of a couple are carriers by this blood test.
Cystic fibrosis is the most common severe inherited disease in whites.
It is rarer in individuals of black or asian ancestry. While there has been much improvement in the care of children with CF, many of the them still die in early childhood, and about half of all victims of CF die before they reach age 30. The answer is probably yes. Genes are passed to your child in the egg and sperm. If you and your spouse are both carriers, two abnormal copies of the CF gene, one from you and one from your spouse, can be passed on to your child.