The Canadian Facts & Figures on Cystic Fibrosis

Did you know…

• One person dies from cystic fibrosis in Canada each week
• Of the Canadians with cystic fibrosis who died in 2011, half were under 34 years old
• One in every 3,600 children born in Canada has cystic fibrosis
• 50% of Canadians with cystic fibrosis are diagnosed by six months of age, and 73% are diagnosed by the age of two
• Approximately 4,000 individuals with cystic fibrosis attend one of the 42 specialized cystic fibrosis clinics across Canada
• Cumulatively, Canadians with cystic fibrosis spent over 25,000 days in hospital and attended CF clinics more than 15,000 times in 2011
• One in 25 Canadians carries a defective version of the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis
• More than 1,900 mutations in the CFTR gene have been identified, however nearly 91.5% 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 cystic fibrosis in Canada are adults
• 86% of individuals with cystic fibrosis must take pancreatic enzymes to digest food and absorb nutrients
• 30% of female adults with cystic fibrosis and 17% of male adults with CF are classified as underweight
• 44 CF patients received transplants in 2011, more than double compared to a decade ago
• Nearly half of all patients with cystic fibrosis are infected with harmful bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and/or Pseudomonas aeruginosa in their lungs
• 16% of all Canadians with cystic fibrosis have CF-related diabetes (CFRD), and 38% of CF patients 35 years of age and older have CFRD
   

For more statistics, download the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Registry 2012 Annual Report. 

Reviewed/updated: 2013-05-07