Cystic fibrosis in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands a retrospective study of the prevalence of cystic fibrosis (CF) at birth has been performed by means of an inquiry set up among 815 medical specialists (paediatricians, lung specialists and pathologists) and by analysis of hospital admission data, death certificates and data of the national CF foundation. The study was confined to the years of birth 1961-1965. On a total of 1,239,566 live births 342 infants and children were found to have CF (1/3600). A list of all studies on the frequency of CF in Caucasian populations is presented as an appendix. A seasonal trend in the expression of the CF gene at birth (either with or without meconium ileus) was noted.