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Yes, cystic fibrosis (CF) is more prevalent in some populations than in others. Cystic fibrosis, which is a genetic disorder, is most common among people of European descent, particularly those with Northern or Central European ancestry. The frequency of CF can vary widely among different population groups. In the United States, about 1 in every 2,500 to 3,500 white newborns is diagnosed with CF, making it the most common life-limiting autosomal recessive disease among this demographic.
Conversely, it is less common in African American, Hispanic, and Asian American populations, with 1 in 17,000 African Americans and 1 in 31,000 Asian Americans affected. Part of the reason for these differences lies in the patterns of genetic mutations that cause CF. The CFTR gene mutation that is most commonly responsible for CF in the Caucasian population is delta F508. Other populations may have different CFTR gene mutations, which occur less frequently and are less studied, leading to a lower observed prevalence of the disease among those groups.