History of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THOSE WITH CF
Mike Schmidt's Journey To The Winner's Circle
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease affecting approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States today. CF causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky mucus, which clogs the airways and leads to life-threatening lung infections. The thick CF mucus also obstructs the pancreas, preventing enzymes from reaching the intestines to break down and digest food. The symptoms of CF are diverse, vary in severity, and can be confused with recurrent pneumonia or asthma. The diagnostic test for CF is called the sweat test and it measures the amount of salt in a person’s sweat. An abnormally high salt level indicates that a person has CF.An individual must inherit two defective CF genes—one from each parent—to be born with CF. More than 10 million Americans (one in 31) are symptomless carriers of the defective CF gene.When the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation began in 1955, few children lived to attend elementary school. Today the median age of survival for a person with CF extends into the early thirties. Research continues to make a real difference. The CF Foundation strongly believes that an investment in CF medical research is an investment in the future of all people with the disease.When scientists supported by the CF Foundation discovered the CF gene in 1989, they began a new era in the campaign to defeat this deadly disease. Technology has been developed to find therapies to treat the root cause of CF not just the symptoms. Currently, many clinical trials on new drugs are underway to determine the best treatments to improve the length and quality of life for people with CF.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation also supports:
- A nationwide network of more than 110 specialty care centers dedicated to treating CF;
- A network of research and gene therapy centers at major universities across the United States;
- Research grants for top investigators to fill a drug “pipeline” of potentially lifesaving new drugs.
Visit www.cff.org or call 800-FIGHT CF to learn more about cystic fibrosis and the services and programs available to people with CF.
2010 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Progress
Click above Page to view or download PDF form.