Diagnosis

Question

My daughter has CF Delta F508. Because I have reduced fertility we went to a infertility clinic. Eventually after 10 trials 1 sperm cell was brought into an egg cell and my daughter was born from this. I myself have many physical problems such as nasal polyps, lots of problems with my joints and I had several examinations because I have abdominal complaints.
As a child I often fainted and I had an EEG done on several occasions. Also my blood sugars vary enormously.
Is there any chance that I may have CF in a milder form, I was really never tested for this. Is it adviced that I should be tested?
Greetings
J.

Answer

Dear parent,
You do not tell me whether you are the mother or the father of this little girl with CF and that makes answering your question more complex. To the question whether there are milder forms of CF, the answer is certainly yes. In about 10% of the patients the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis is made during adulthood. Many of the symptoms you enumerate can happen in patients with CF. Nasal polyps are rather typical, reduced fertility happens in men with CF. There is also a special form of infertility by absence of the vas deferens so that the sperm does not come in the ejaculate. Reduced fertility has also been described in females with CF. A special type of diabetes occurs in CF…
If you still have several complaints you should thus consult your doctor and he will check if you need to have tests for CF done.
K. De Boeck

27.04.2009