Treatment programs for cystic fibrosis are tailored to individual needs and depend upon the stage of the disease and which organs are affected.

Treatments followed at home generally include:

• tapping or "clapping" the chest and the back vigorously(percussion) or PEP (positive expiratory pressure) Mask Therapy or other forms of chest physiotherapy to help loosen the mucus which clogs the lungs
• taking pancreatic enzymes with all meals, to aid digestion
• taking nutritional supplements and vitamins to promote good nutrition
• taking antibiotics in pill, intravenous (IV), and or inhaled forms, to ease congestion and protect against and fight lung infection
• exercise

How does cystic fibrosis affect daily life?
For persons with CF, life includes a daily routine of therapy and periodic visits to a CF clinic. Otherwise, most individuals with cystic fibrosis lead normal lives, for many years, in terms of education, physical activity, and social relationships. Eventually, however, lung disease places increasing limits on daily life.

Thanks to advances in research and clinical care, growing numbers of children with CF are surviving into adulthood. In 1960, when the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF) was founded, a child born with cystic fibrosis rarely lived four years. Today, half of all Canadians with CF are expected to live into their late-thirties and beyond.

In 2006, for the first time, more than 50% of all Canadians with CF were 18 years and older. These men and women are pursuing post-secondary education, careers and many are having families of their own; a tremendous accomplishment, but not enough.

IS THERE A CURE FOR CYSTIC FIBROSIS?

As yet, there is no known cure for CF, but there is real hope. Comprehensive treatment programs have dramatically extended the lives of persons with CF and many are living into their 20s, 30s and beyond.

As of 2002, the median age of survival of Canadians with cystic fibrosis is 37 years of age. The median age of survival is the age beyond which half of the CF population can be expected to live.

Since 1989 when Canadian researchers discovered the gene responsible for CF, global research to find a cure for the disease has brought us closer and closer to a solution.

Right now, there is no cure for CF. Even if symptoms are mild at first, they get steadily worse over time.

But there is hope. Fifteen years ago, most children with CF would die before reaching their teens. Now, with new treatments available, more than half live into their thirties, and new research is leading to the possibility of a cure. Statistics now show that nearly 40% of the people living with CF in the United States are 18 years or older.

Since researchers identified the gene that causes CF in 1989, they have tried to replace abnormal CF genes with normal ones. Some are working on finding the right method of delivering that normal gene into the cells of a person with CF. Other scientists are trying to find new ways of fighting lung infections and different ways of moving chloride in and out of cells, bypassing the defective CFTR protein. In some cases, lung transplants have extended the lives of people with CF.