Cystic Fibrosis Births Fall After Gene Testing

Widespread testing for cystic fibrosis (CF) genes may lead to fewer babies born with the disease, a study suggests. The study looked at two regions of Italy. In one area, all younger adults were offered genetic tests. In the other region, tests were given only to people who had relatives with CF or had in vitro fertilization. The study lasted 15 years. In that time, about 10 out of every 40,000 babies born in the two regions had CF. The rate of CF births dropped in both areas. But the drop was much steeper in the area with widespread testing. There, the rate of CF births fell by 1 case out of 40,000 births. In the area with more limited testing, CF births fell by 0.16 cases out of 40,000. That drop is so small it could have occurred by chance. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. MedPage Today wrote about it December 15.