Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition which primarily affects the lungs and the pancreas. The main characteristic of cystic fibrosis is the production of thick mucus which results in frequent lung infections. The secretions from the pancreas are also thickened thus damaging the processes by which food is broken down and absorbed by the body.
The thickening is caused by a faulty gene, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR), which causes too much salt and not enough water to pass into the body's cells.
There is no cure for cystic fibrosis and early death is common. The disease is becoming easier to live with thanks to the ongoing development of many treatments and therapies.
In order for a baby to have cystic fibrosis, both parents must be carriers of the disease. In people of European descent, 1 in 22 are carriers. The Republic of Ireland has the highest proprortion of carriers in the world (1 in 19). Cystic Fibrosis is much less common in people of Asian or Afro-Caribbean descent.
If both parents are carriers then there is a 25% chance that the child will have cystic fibrosis.
Cystic Fibrosis affects 8,000 people in the UK.
Three people with cystic fibrosis die in the UK each week
In the UK five babies are born with the condition each week, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust states that average life expectancy is currently about 31 years but also points out that, due to improvements in treatment, a baby born today could be expected to live for longer.
Between 30 and 35% persent of adults with cystic fibrosis have CF-related bone disease.
At the age of 20 24% of people with cystic fibrosis have CF-related diabetes mellitus. This figure rises to 74% by the age of 30.
Up to 30% of people with cystic fibrosis have CF-related liver disease.
Infertility is common in males with cystic fibrosis.