The Canadian Facts & Figures on Cystic Fibrosis

Did you know…

• One person dies from cystic fibrosis in Canada each week
• Of the 63 patients that died in 2009, half were under 28 years old
• One in every 3,600 children born in Canada has cystic fibrosis
• 60% of people with cystic fibrosis are diagnosed in the first year of life, and 90% by age 10
• Approximately 3,800 individuals with CF attend one of the 42 specialized cystic fibrosis clinics across Canada
• CF patients spent over 20,000 days in-hospital and attended nearly 14,000 clinic visits in 2009
• One in 25 Canadians carries a defective version of the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis
• Over 1,800 mutations in the CFTR gene have been identified, however nearly 90% of individuals with CF in Canada carry at least one copy of the most common CF-causing mutation, ΔF508
• In the 1960’s, most children with cystic fibrosis did not live long enough to attend kindergarten
• Today, half of all Canadians with cystic fibrosis are expected to live into their 40s and beyond
• Nearly 60% of all individuals with CF in Canada are adults
• 86% of individuals with CF must take pancreatic enzymes to digest food and absorb nutrients
• 35% of female adults with CF and 25% of male adults with CF are classified as underweight
• 44 CF patients received transplants in 2009, more than double compared to a decade ago
• Nearly half of all patients with CF are infected with harmful bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and/or Pseudomonas aeruginosa in their lungs
• 13% of all individuals with CF have CF-related diabetes (CFRD), and more than one quarter of CF individuals, 35 years of age and older, have CF-related diabetes

For more statistics, download the Canadian Patient Data Registry Report.

Reviewed/updated: 2011-07-26