Expansion and uncertainty: Cystic fibrosis, classification and genetics

Abstract

This paper presents an empirical examination of geneticization, the process where genetic explanations gain ascendancy in medical and social discourse. By focusing on Cystic Fibrosis (CF), this study shows how genetic explanations play a role in the reclassification of Cystic Fibrosis. One result of this geneticization is a nosological expansion, where the boundaries of the disease expand to include a certain form of male infertility. In addition this paper highlights the uncertainty in the CF classification system that results from the use of genetic explanations.