MSU Cystic Fibrosis Center, accredited by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, manages all aspects of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) care for pediatric and adult patients. Our team includes adult and pediatric pulmonary physicians, CF nurse practitioner, infectious disease physician, genetic counselor, registered dietician, social worker, mental health coordinator, and respiratory therapists.

CF is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). As a core center, we are accredited by and receive funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. As an accredited center, we work in collaboration with more than 114 CF Centers and 154 affiliate programs nationwide in order to provide high quality specialized care to our patients. We undergo periodic rigorous evaluations of our care to ensure we are meeting the criteria for accreditation through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and ensuring we are providing the best possible care. 

The MSU CF center performs evaluations of infants who have positive newborn screening for CF through the state of Michigan.  When newborn screening is positive it suggests the child may have CF or, at a minimum, is a carrier of one CF gene mutation.  Most of the time, two abnormal genes are needed to cause CF and many patients with positive testing are only carriers of one gene.  All children with a positive newborn screen for CF should have sweat testing because the genetic testing done on newborn screening does not test for all of the over 1,800 mutations which can cause CF.

Consultations are performed by a pediatric pulmonologist and a genetic counselor to determine if the child has CF or, if they are a carrier, help explain what being a CF carrier means for both the child and other family members including future children.  All children who carry a mutation for CF should also have genetic counseling as an adult, to personally hear what being a CF carrier might mean for themselves and their children.  It should also be noted that negative newborn screening does not completely rule out CF.

For more information about CF newborn screening in Michigan, please review the Cystic Fibrosis Screening Fact Sheet from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Patients can be referred by calling MSU Health Care Specialty and Pediatric Clinics at (517) 884-8600