CF Symptoms

Question

My daughter (4 years old, with type I diabetes discovered in October 2007) has been sweating heavily since birth, especially at night. Her forehead is salty all day, not only at night. Her nose is blocked early in the morning. When she runs a lot, she starts to cough a bit and I can hear that her airways are full of mucus. Do you think she might have CF?

Answer

Hello,

Diabetes isn´t a typical early CF symptom. It usually appears after a child is ten or older. CF patients sweat the same way as healthy children, but their sweat contains five times more salt than the sweat of a healthy child. However, if you feel that your daughter´s forehead is too salty and especially if she has any symptoms of airway disease (even though mild), there is an easy method of finding out if she suffers from CF – you can arrange for a sweat test. It´s a very simple test, which should be carried out by a laboratory that has relevant experience with it. If you come from Prague and its surroundings, your daughter can have this test done as an outpatient at the Motol University Hospital. You can arrange an appointment with Eva Kinclová on 224 432 272. A blocked nose in the morning and coughing after physical exercise may also be symptoms of an allergy. Consult your GP about the best facility to carry out both allergy and sweat tests.

Dr. Vera Vávrová

21.11.2011