that's a good question. i can see why you might make that connection since both cystic fibrosis (cf) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) involve the lungs. cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that causes mucus throughout the body to become thick and sticky. this becomes very evident in the lungs where there's a lot of mucus. in order to get cf a child must inherit a gene defect from both parents. if only one parent passes along the gene mutation that causes cf the child is called a cf "carrier" because if he or she has a child with another person who is a cf carrier their child will have cystic fibrosis. if you are a cf carrier you do not have the disease and cannot get the disease. cf is not in any way related to copd which is usually caused by external factors such as smoking tobacco. copd is not an inherited disease and cannot be "caught" from another person. copd is not in any way related to -- or associated with -- carrying the cystic fibrosis gene mutation. if a cystic fibrosis carrier develops copd this is in no way related to the person's genetic status and the cf gene mutation in no way affects the individual's copd. wishing you well!
can being a cf carrier cause copd symptoms to accelerated?