Do all people with CF die?

Of course they do, all PEOPLE die. Right now the life expectancy of a person with cystic fibrosis is over 30 years. That number is a dramatic increase from just a few decades ago, and is steadily increasing as new treatments become available. Cystic Fibrosis is still a very serious life-shortening disease, but it is not the short-term death sentence that it was several years ago. Many people with CF live into adulthood, attend college, marry, and even have children (and even grandchildren!) of their own. Progress in the fight against cystic fibrosis is being made, and there is great hope for an effective treatment or cure within the next decade.

For more statistical information about the population of cystic fibrosis patients, see the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry Annual Data Report 2002 available on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's website. (Adobe Reader, a free program, is required to open this document.)

If you wish to contact the author of this site, please email