Causes, Risk Factors & Complications Of Cystic Fibrosis

Family History

However, cystic fibrosis is a recessive condition, which means both parents must pass on a copy of the mutated CFTR gene for it to be present in a child. If it's inherited from only one parent, the mutation will not occur. And even when parents both have the mutated gene, there is only a twenty-five percent chance their child will develop the disease. Instead, it's much more common for a child to be a carrier of cystic fibrosis—which means they have the genetic mutation but do not present symptoms. Because of the variable chances of inheriting cystic fibrosis, it's important for individuals to be familiar with their family history of the disease. Just because they (or any close relatives) don't suffer from the disease doesn't mean they aren't carrying the CFTR mutation, which could be inadvertently be passed along to their children.

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