Cystic Fibrosis
How is CF Diagnosed?
Cystic fibrosis is most commonly diagnosed by a sweat test, which is a relatively simple test whereby the skin is stimulated to produce sweat. This sweat is then analysed. Children who have cystic fibrosis have excessively salty sweat. Following a positive sweat test, blood is usually taken for genetic analysis. This will usually involve looking for the common mutations, which will diagnose up to 85% of patients. If the patient has a less common mutation, it may not be possible to easily identify it.