ABSTRACT
Cystic Fibrosis [CF] is a hereditary multi system disease transmitted as an autosomal recessive, leading to chronic pulmonary disease, pancreatic enzyme deficiency and abnormally high sweat electrolytes. It is considered predominantly a disorder of Caucasians of European descent. The following study refers to an intensive retrospective search for patients with cystic fibrosis from clinical data, hospital record in Salmaniya Medical Centre [SMC], with the aim of determining the incidence of cystic fibrosis in Bahrain. The survey included 27 confirmed cases of cystic fibrosis born during the period 1978-1994. Diagnosis was established by presence of a high sweat sodium and chloride [70 mmoI/1]. The mean incidence during this period was found to be one in 7,700, all cases were diagnosed during the first year of life, and 60% were diagnosed in the first three months of life. Male and female ratio was found to be 14/13 [1:1]. The incidence of meconum ileus was 16%. Mortality in the neonatal period was 60%. First cousin marriage rate among these families was 63%