salty sweat

Question

I have a 14 month old boy who is still getting breastfeeding and has a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and meat. After reading about CF, I started gettting worried because his sweat is salty and he has persistent nose congestion. I wonder if these symptoms warrant a sweat test? When I kiss him on the head his sweat is salty and smelly, even though he may have had a bath two hours ago. How salty is salty? My sweat, for example, isn’t. Our paediatrician, who monitors him on a regular basis, has not detected any respiratory problems and has suggested aerius for the congestion to check if it is some kind of allergic rhinitis. The child is 82 cm tall and weighs 10.6 kgr. Thank you!

Answer

Dear friend,
You have a 14 months old boy who has a mixed diet of breastfeeding and solid foods and has a persistent nasal congestion and you are worried because his sweat is salty and smelly.
Firstly, your son does not have any cough or other problems from the lower respiratory system. Secondly, the sweat of all people is salty, but the sweat of a person with CF is very salty, just like the sea. You can compare your son’s sweat to the sweat of another person, e.g. your spouse.
You should follow the instructions of your paediatrician. Based on the medical history you report there is no evidence that your son has CF.

Yours friendly,
Kostas Katsoulakis

22.12.2015