they are making myself (18 years old) and my two siblings, 9 and 13 get tested.
myself and my siblings don't have any symptoms but we are still scared to get tested because of the possibility
what are the chances that we will have cf if we have no symptoms?

you must have had some symptoms by now if you had CF.
i think your parents want to do the test to see if any of you and siblings are "clear" of CF or if you are carriers of CF(its mainly important,later on in life,when you get married and want to have children)
CF is inherited,so that's why the genetic testing.

You should absolutely be tested, especially if your brother has a mild form. We are diagnosing many people with milder forms later in life. I have several patients diagnosed in their 30s and 40s who only has sinus symptoms. Early treatment leads to slower progression of the disease. do the testing! You have a 25% chance of having CF as both your parents are carriers. You have a 50% chance of being a carrier and 25% chance of being totally free of CF genes. if you have CF, it is likely mild as you are asymptomatic. if you are a carrier, you may have your spouse tested before you have children. either way, at least you'll know

Posted on: Monday, 16 August 2010, 13:42 CDT

Research conducted by Dr. Jay Kolls, Professor and Chair of Genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center new Orleans, and colleagues, has found that vitamin D may be an effective therapeutic agent to treat or prevent allergy to a common mold that can complicate asthma and frequently affects patients with Cystic Fibrosis. The work is scheduled to be published online August 16, 2010, ahead of the print edition of the September 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The environmental mold, Aspergillus fumigatus, is one of the most prevalent fungal organisms inhaled by people. In the vast majority, it is not associated with disease. however, in asthmatics and in patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), it can cause significant allergic symptoms. Up to 15% of CF patients develop a severe allergic response called Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA). since the mold is so common, the researchers wanted to identify the factors that determine why only a subset of patients develop the allergy and what factors regulate tolerance or sensitization to the mold resulting in the development of ABPA. To gain insights, the group studied two groups of patients with CF. Both groups were colonized with A. Fumigatus, but only one had ABPA.

The researchers focused on Th2 cells–the hormonal messengers of T-helper cells that produce an allergic response. They found that a protein called OX40L was critical in driving Th2 responses to A. fumigatus in the CD4+T cells isolated from patients with ABPA and that this group had a much greater Th2 responses to A. Fumigatus. The CD4+T cells from the group of patients that did not have ABPA had higher levels of the proteins, FoxP3 and TGF-ß, critical to the development of allergen tolerance. The researchers discovered that heightened Th2 reactivity in the ABPA group correlated with a lower average blood level of vitamin D.

"we found that adding vitamin D not only substantially reduced the production of the protein driving an allergic response, but it also increased production of the proteins that promote tolerance," notes Dr. Jay Kolls, Professor and Chair of Genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center new Orleans.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common, fatal genetic disease in the United States. about 30,000 people in the United States have the disease. CF causes the body to produce thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs, leads to infection, and blocks the pancreas, which stops digestive enzymes from reaching the intestine where they are required in order to digest food. it is estimated that about 70,000 people worldwide have the disease.

Recent research has suggested that low levels of vitamin D may contribute to heart disease, a higher risk of diabetes, certain cancers, and depression as well as asthma, colds, and other respiratory disorders.

"our study provides further evidence that vitamin D appears to be broadly associated with human health," notes Dr. Jay Kolls, Professor and Chair of Genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center new Orleans. "The next step in our research is to conduct a clinical trial to see if vitamin D can be used to treat or prevent this complication of asthma and Cystic Fibrosis."

• Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
• Journal of Clinical Investigation

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