Sinusitis seems to be a significant feature of this milder form of cystic fibrosis, the researcher said. That's not to say that people with sinus headaches and allergies should think they have mutations of the CF gene. That's just not true. It's just that sinusitis can arise from numerous causes, and one of them might be having the 5T allele. It's an association.
Cystic fibrosis is the most common fatal genetic illness among whites.
Both men and women can inherit the ailment, and about one in 2,500 whites are born with it. The median age of survival is 30. The CF gene was cloned in 1989. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the N.C. Biotechnology Center support the continuing research.