What it is:

A sweat test is requested by your doctor when the diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is being considered. People with CF have an increased amount of sodium and chloride (salt) in their sweat.

The test is a screening and is done frequently.

The test itself is simple, painless, reliable, inexpensive, and it can be carried out on children of all ages.

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that is inherited through families and is not passed on through infections.

It affects approximately one in 2500 people.

This means that on Wirral it would be diagnosed in approximately one or two children each year.

Cystic Fibrosis is a difficult disease to diagnose and it has similar symptoms to several other minor ailments. Because of this the majority of children who have a sweat test will turn out not to have CF.

CF affects the digestive system and the lungs and the test is doen when children show some of the following symptoms (Please note that these symptoms do not mean that a child has CF):

• Poor weight gain or slower than normally expected growth.
• Recurring bouts of diarrhoea or oily motions that are difficult to flush away.
• Difficulty in digesting food.
• Frequent coughs, colds, chest infections
• A family history of the disease