How can Cystic Fibrosis be treated?

• improve nutrition by providing supplements containing enzymes to help digestion
• reduce chest infections with frequent physiotherapy and either occasional or continuous antibiotics

What are the physical symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis?

In the lungs, the disease results in repeated cases of pneumonia and breathing difficulties. The pancreas becomes less able to produce digestive juices, which may result in weight loss and greasy diarrhoea

How is Cystic Fibrosis diagnosed?

About one in five people with cystic fibrosis are diagnosed at birth, when their gut becomes blocked by extra thick meconium (the black tar-like bowel contents that all babies pass soon after birth). This bowel blockage may need surgery.
Just over half of people with CF are diagnosed as babies. This is because they are not growing or putting on weight as they should due to the digestive system not breaking down the fat content in food.

What are the chances of a person with this disease passing the disease to their offspring

There is a 1-in-4 (25%) chance that the child will inherit the regular CF gene from each parent and will be completely free of the CF gene mutation and will not be affected by CF.
There is a 2-in-4 (50%) chance that the child will inherit both a regular copy and a faulty copy of the CF gene and be a carrier of the faulty gene, unaffected by CF, just like his/her parents.
There is a 1-in-4 (25%) chance that the child will inherit the faulty CF gene from each parent. This child will be affected with cystic fibrosis.

How prevalent is Cystic Fibrosis in a population

How does a person inherit this genetic disorder? Is it dominant or recessive? Is it genetic or chromosomal?

Cystic fibrosis is an 'autosomal recessive' disease, which means that both parents have a gene defect that they pass on to their offspring. But the child will have cystic fibosis only if it inherits both of the defective copies of the gene.

What is a Genetic Counselor?—Qualifications, Education, Job details

Genetic Counselors work directly with office staff, patients, physicians, families, students, volunteers, and the public. They act as a resource to doctors and the public. Genetic Counselors must have good communication skills and be patient with those they are working with. Genetic Counselors are exposed to many diseases. Must be able to go on short travel periods and have moderate computer skills.

Education: Master's Degree in Genetic Counseling required.

Experience: Experience in genetic counseling or related field preferred. Licensure, Certification, and/or Registration: Board Certification by American Board of Medical Genetics as a Genetic Counselor or board eligible required.