Cystic Fibrosis: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment - Hardcoverby Tamzin Gillespie (Editor) Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder which primarily impacts the lungs but also affects kidneys, pancreas, intestine and liver. The major symptoms include difficulty in breathing and coughing up mucus which occurs due to frequent lung infections. There are several other symptoms such as fatty stool, sinus infections, clubbing of the fingers and toes, infertility in most males and poor growth. The disease is genetic