This report follows the unprecedented referral to our institution of 2 Asian Indian patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) within a 2-month period in 1993. As there were no reports of CF in Asian Indians in the American literature, we surveyed CF centers in the United States to estimate the incidence and to further characterize this group.
Of the 130 reports of CF in Asian Indian patients since 1968, 108 were described in the Indian literature1-10 and 22 were described in the United Kingdom (UK) literature.11-14 In the Indian literature, 89 cases were diagnosed on clinical grounds, 14 at autopsy, and 5 were based on family history. There was a 68:40 male predominance. Consanguinity was confirmed in 24 patients (22%). Of the 22 cases reported in the UK literature, 9 were diagnosed on clinical grounds, 1 at autopsy, 2 by screening, 4 on family history, and 6 were not