Although cystic fibrosis (CF) is not a new disease, there is still a lot to learn about it. In 1938, a pathologist, Dr. Dorothy Andersen, provided the first clear description of cystic fibrosis. Before that, there had been reports of people exhibiting the symptoms of someone with cystic fibrosis. In the 17th century, children with cystic fibrosis symptoms were thought to be bewitched and their life expectancy was very short. Dr. Dorothy Andersen gave this disease its name because cystic fibrosis refers to scarring found on the pancreas. People with CF also have associated diseases such as salt-wasting syndrome, obstructive azoospermia, and gastrointestinal abnormalities. CF is inherited from parents, making it a genetic disease. Cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations in a certain gene that produces the protein CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator). This gene was first discovered in 1989 on chromosome pair 7. Cystic fibrosis is a recessive disease, which means both parents must be carriers. Whenever two CF carriers have a child together, there is a 1 in 4 chance that their child will inherit the CF mutation. Although cystic fibrosis causes cough, it cannot be transmitted in any other way than by inheritance. Young people with cystic fibrosis also face riskier health behaviors. These risk factors include daily smoking, cannabis use, and engaging in antisocial or violent acts. These risk factors usually occur in clusters and increase with age. Many factors contribute to this behavior such as age, gender, academic background and parents' education level; all differences except alcohol abuse remained significant. People with CF are more likely to be depressed and to rate their health as poor. The climate can also subject a person with CF to a greater level of stress if... center of paper... drugs in development for cystic fibrosis. There are numerous clinical trials that cystic fibrosis patients can take part in and help advance treatments for this disease. A clinical trial completed to test a new way of delivering inhaled antibiotics could be done for people with cystic fibrosis and a lung infection caused by pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antibiotic drug (Amikacin) was produced by wrapping the drug with liposomes. The lipsomas were thought to help the antibiotic penetrate the mucus to kill pseudomonas aeruginosa and also slow the rate at which amikacin leaves the lung. The results of this study have not yet been completed. For the average cystic fibrosis patient, treatments, medications, and other things cost thousands of dollars a year. Recent estimates show an excess of $40,000 per year in direct medical costs and $9,000 per year in secondary costs per cystic fibrosis patient.