More Than Doodles

Cystic Fibrosis in Ireland

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-threatening hereditary disease that affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system. It is caused by a defective gene that is often carried silently. This gene causes the body to produce a sticky mucus that blocks the bronchial tubes and prevents the body's natural enzymes from digesting food. Suffers also often face debilitating cycles of lung infections and inflammations.

CF is one of the most common life-shortening, childhood-onset inherited diseases. There is no cure for CF. However, access to better hospitalisation facilities and to therapeutic treatments can help prolong the life of a CF sufferer.

Ireland has the highest proportion of cystic fibrosis suffers in the world. Approximately one in every 19 people in Ireland is a carrier of the gene. Despite this, Ireland has no dedicated Cystic Fibrosis unit. This means that CF sufferers in Ireland often die younger than in other countries.

Some 70,000 people worldwide suffer from cystic fibrosis, and millions unknowingly carry the defective CF gene.