What Is Cystic Fibrosis?
Cystic fibrosis is a crippling disease that affects thousands of people worldwide.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease of the secretory glands that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time. It causes cells to produce thick and sticky mucus, sweat, and digestive juices that block airways, ducts, and passageways. There is no cure, but there are ways to manage symptoms.
According to the World Health Organization, the occurrence of cystic fibrosis varies across the world. In the United States, approximately 1 in 3,500 babies are born with cystic fibrosis while in the European Union there are approximately 1 in 2,000 to 3,000 babies born with cystic fibrosis. In the United States, approximately 800-900 …show more content…
The sweat test measures the amount of chloride in the individuals sweat. The test is performed by applying pilocarpine, a colorless, odorless chemical that encourages sweating being applied to the skin in two places on the arm or the leg. A low electrical current is applied to the area over the medication for five minute. It is not painful to the patient, but they may feel a slight warming or tingling sensation. Next, a piece of filter paper or gauze is applied over the same two areas for thirty minutes to collect the sweat. The sweat is sent to the lab to analyze the amount of chloride in the sample. The test can be performed as early as 2 weeks of age. That is about the time a person can produce enough sweat to perform the test. This test is most frequently done at two to four weeks of age for babies that were positive for CF on their newborn screen. If there is chloride level of 60 mmol/L or more, means a diagnosis of CF is likely. For infants up to 6 months of age, a chloride level of 30-59 mmol/L, means a diagnosis of CF is possible. The test is often done twice, a few weeks apart to confirm the …show more content…
This test is performed in the first two or three days after birth. If it is found that the infant is a carrier of the defective CFTR further testing will be performed including the sweat test to confirm diagnosis of CF or determine if the baby is just a carrier. This is a blood test done with a few drops of blood from a heel prick placed on a Guthrie card. In some states the test is performed twice, once two to three days after birth and once a few weeks later. The test looks at the levels of immunoreactive trypsinogent (IRT), a chemical made by the pancreas. It is often high in babies with CF, but it may be elevated if the baby was born premature or had a stressful
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease of the secretory glands that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time. It causes cells to produce thick and sticky mucus, sweat, and digestive juices that block airways, ducts, and passageways. There is no cure, but there are ways to manage symptoms.
According to the World Health Organization, the occurrence of cystic fibrosis varies across the world. In the United States, approximately 1 in 3,500 babies are born with cystic fibrosis while in the European Union there are approximately 1 in 2,000 to 3,000 babies born with cystic fibrosis. In the United States, approximately 800-900 …show more content…
The sweat test measures the amount of chloride in the individuals sweat. The test is performed by applying pilocarpine, a colorless, odorless chemical that encourages sweating being applied to the skin in two places on the arm or the leg. A low electrical current is applied to the area over the medication for five minute. It is not painful to the patient, but they may feel a slight warming or tingling sensation. Next, a piece of filter paper or gauze is applied over the same two areas for thirty minutes to collect the sweat. The sweat is sent to the lab to analyze the amount of chloride in the sample. The test can be performed as early as 2 weeks of age. That is about the time a person can produce enough sweat to perform the test. This test is most frequently done at two to four weeks of age for babies that were positive for CF on their newborn screen. If there is chloride level of 60 mmol/L or more, means a diagnosis of CF is likely. For infants up to 6 months of age, a chloride level of 30-59 mmol/L, means a diagnosis of CF is possible. The test is often done twice, a few weeks apart to confirm the …show more content…
This test is performed in the first two or three days after birth. If it is found that the infant is a carrier of the defective CFTR further testing will be performed including the sweat test to confirm diagnosis of CF or determine if the baby is just a carrier. This is a blood test done with a few drops of blood from a heel prick placed on a Guthrie card. In some states the test is performed twice, once two to three days after birth and once a few weeks later. The test looks at the levels of immunoreactive trypsinogent (IRT), a chemical made by the pancreas. It is often high in babies with CF, but it may be elevated if the baby was born premature or had a stressful