Hello

Question

In my life there are quite some setbacks. As a child I suffered from recurrent infections, pneumonias, bronchitis, tonsillitis. Always one was followed by the other. With 14 the sinusitis began, that did not disappear until now at the age of 35. I have had also liver problems and a pressure feeling. Since I do a gluten-free nutrition, this improved however. Every morning, however, I have sputum with viscous secretions looking like a fluid. I cannot run, I could never blow up a pool. Also I have heart problems: I cannot image to suffer from CF, it would have been without treatment for 35 years - is such a thing possible?

Answer

Dear questioner,
you want to know, if the illness of CF could be the reason for your complaints and if a CF can be diagnosed at your age. Yes, also in adults sometimes the diagnosis of CF is made. Hereby it deals mostly with lighter courses of the illness or with a false diagnose at an earlier age. All symptoms you mention can, however must not necessarily been caused by CF. Your age does not exclude the diagnosis, on the other hand there are many other lung diseases that would fit in the picture. In order to make or exclude the diagnosis of CF, a sweat test should be done at first; you should be referred by you general practitioner or by a pneumologist to a CF center, that offers the test. This non-invasive test should be done twice at two different days. After the result one can tell more about the probability of the diagnosis and if necessary further investigations could be recommended and intitated.
I hope to have helped you with my answer.
Best regards,
Yours Dr. med. Christina Smaczny

12.09.2015