Sunday, August 3, 2008

Myth #1: Only Caucasians have the cystic fibrosis gene.


Fact: Although Caucasians and people of European descent are the ones most likely to have the CF gene, people of any ethnicity can have it. The statistics below show CF mutations* broken down by race and ethnicity.

Caucasian

Odds that both parents are carriers: 1 in 625

Chance of having a child with CF: 1 in 2500

Mutation detection by screening: 90%

Hispanic American

Odds that both parents are carriers: 1 in 2,100

Chance of having a child with CF: 1 in 8,500

Mutation detection by screening: 57%

African American

Odds that both parents are carriers: 1 in 4,200

Chance of having a child with CF: 1 in 17,000

Mutation detection by screening: 69%

Asian American

Odds that both parents are carriers: 1 in 8,100

Chance of having a child with CF: 1 in 32,400

Mutation detection by screening: unknown


* the most commonly known 25 mutations

These statistics and probabilities will be very different for mixed race couples. This data is based on Genetic Medicine 4(5):379-91. 2002.

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4 comments:

  1. AspiemomAugust 4, 2008 at 5:22 AM

    I found this very interesting and had wondered this a few times. I forwarded the article on to some family members.
    Good job, Lauren!

    ReplyDelete
  2. LorettaJuly 3, 2013 at 2:12 AM

    Interesting. But I have yet to meet a non-caucasian CF. in person and online.

    ReplyDelete
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