What is CF?

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects the respiratory & digestive systems.  There is excessive thick mucus that clogs the lungs and blocks enzymes from reaching the intestines for food digestion.

Can you "catch" CF?

No!  It's a genetic disease so you can only get CF if both parents pass you the CF gene.  You can be a carrier of the gene and not have CF.

Here's a matrix I learned to show who can get CF:

Both Parent 1 and 2 are carriers of the CF defective gene (CF).   If only one parent is a carrier, then they cannot have a child with CF, but can pass on the defective gene.

		Parent 1
		CF	cf		CF=Defective CF gene
Parent 2	CF	CF-CF	cf-CF		cf=normal gene
	cf	CF-cf	cf-cf
		Child with CF
		Child without CF but carrying CF gene
		Child without CF and not carrying gene

Learn more about CF from the experts: 

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation:  www.cff.org