Cystic fibrosis in adults and older children

When cystic fibrosis (CF) shows up for the first time in adults, they often don't have the severe problems with malabsorption that children do.

Symptoms may include:  

• jaundice and / or ongoing itching
• vomiting blood
• infertility
• A persistent cough, wheezing or lung infections
• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
• Sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses) or sinus polyps 
• Malnutrition and weight loss 

The reason for these symptoms is often that cystic fibrosis actually comes in lots of different forms. The gene that causes CF also has lots of different versions or genotypes.