A recent analysis of patient information collected by the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Registry revealed a positive trend in the average age of survival for patients in the country. Thanks to years of aggressive research, campaigning, and significant advancements in treatments for CF and its complications, the current median age for survival in Canada is now up to 50.9 years old — which is the highest in the world. This milestone was recently announced during the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Past trends in survival for CF patients started with a median age of a mere 6 months for children back in 1959. Four years ago, the median age shot up to 37 years old for female patients, and 40 for males. In 2007, Canada boasted a survival age of 47.7, which is now fortunately on the rise based on intensive data gathering from 42 CF clinics across the country.
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Dr. Anne Stephenson, the current Director of the CF Registry, is extremely happy with the news, as it reflects just how much research, fundraising, advocacy, and healthcare-related effort has been made into the ongoing fight against CF. She hopes the registry will continue to be a reliable source of essential information for ongoing and future research initiatives. Ken Chan, the Vice President of Advocacy, Research and Healthcare at Cystic Fibrosis Canada, said that the registry has been an indispensable component and source of motivation in their advocacy.
The Canadian CF Registry has been pooling pertinent CF patient data and making it easily accessible to clinicians, researchers, and educators worldwide for more than 40 years. It plays a role in helping identify trends in the disease and overall patient responses to treatments.
CF Canada, which was founded in 1960, is one of the three leading non-profit organizations in the world dedicated to accelerating the search for CF treatments and improving the lives of people living with the disease.