In the not-too-distant past, parents were counseled that children with cystic fibrosis were unlikely to live past their teenage years. But a new estimate of patients鈥� life spans suggests that many can now expect to live into their 40s and beyond.

According to experts in the field, a combination of early diagnosis via newborn screening, improved treatments, and better care coordination has greatly extended patients鈥� lives. Further improvements in life span are expected as patients diagnosed as newborns reap the full benefits of early diagnosis and new genetically targeted therapies.

鈥淕reat progress is being made, and patients are leading longer, more productive lives,鈥� said Joseph M. Pilewski, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.