Cystic fibrosis is the most common hereditary disease. The most affected group is Caucasians of northern European ancestry.
It is estimated that in the European Union 50.000 people have the disease while one out of 25 people carries the CF gene. Cystic fibrosis affects one in every 3500 babies.
Michael Toubis, chairman of Greek Pneumonological Society, has said that “cystic fibrosis is a serious genetic condition that’s life threatening”. Information campaigns that are designed every year serve as a call-to-action for parents to have prenatal tests. “Our main purpose is to brief the young couples about prenatal tests and to raise awareness about cystic fibrosis” , Dimitris Kodopidis, Chairman of Greek Cystic Fybrosis Society said.
Cystic fibrosis is a disease characterized by the buildup of thick, sticky mucus that can damage many of the body’s organs and the systems of the human’s body that gradually cause their destruction. There are more than 2000 recorded mutations. The disease exists from the embryo capture and it gradually evolves. The most common signs include progressive damage to the respiratory system and chronic digestive system problems.
For the majority of the patients, the diagnosis of the disease or the occurrence of the symptoms happen until the 2nd year of life. The symptoms resemble to those of other diseases and sometimes the diagnosis is difficult.
