Cystic fibrosis (CF), also called mucoviscidosis, formerly cystic fibrosis of the pancreas, an inherited metabolic disorder, the chief symptom of which is the production of a thick, sticky mucus that clogs the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal tract. Cystic fibrosis was not recognized as a separate disease until 1938 and was then classified as a childhood disease because mortality among afflicted infants and children was high. However, by the mid-1980s, more than half of all victims of cystic fibrosis survived into adulthood owing to aggressive therapeutic measures.