My daughter just took a sweat test with our local hospital. They had to get an instruction book out and were asking each other questions about how to administer the test. It looked like this was something they did maybe annually. They left it on for one hour and ten minutes. Her results came back at a level of 105. She is four years old, tall and skinny, and has always had a bloated belly, and has always had very large smelly bowel movements.
Well, they also did a blood test for celiac disease and it came back that she could possibly have that also. She has been diagnosed with asthma, but never hospitalized or had any lung problems. We are set up to go to Kosair Childrens Hospital in Louisville, KY. Does anyone know anything about this place or can anyone tell me if my child's sweat test could possibly by wrong. How did all of the other doctors that I have taken her to never see this??
Also, on another subject, my daughter has always been very moody and tempermental is this also a symptom of this disease?

Any respone would be of great value :wave:

It is possible for it to be wrong if they didn't do it right. Did they clean the arm real good first? Were they careful not to touch the pad that collected the sweat at all? If they touched the pad or the arm at all with thier fingers the salt could have come from the person running the test.
The lab that did it for my kids was extra careful. She has been doing the tests a few times a week for 20 years. My 12 week old has cf (diagnosed at 2 weeks) her levels were 119 in one arm and 120 in the other. If you noticed that they weren't careful and touched the pad I would ask for a retest at a more experienced hospital. We drove 150 miles to the hospital that did ours because all of the other hospital srun the tests then send the sweat pad there to get the results. It was worth the drive because they scheduled us an appt. at the children's hospital to give us the results that day instead of having to wait.
Hope this helps in some way.

You really should go to a CFF accredited center for the sweat test where they are well trained in how to administer the sweat test. Our daughter's test came back inconclusive because it was done WRONG at the local hospital in our city. We then went to a CFF accredited hospital where the test came back positive for CF twice, confirming the diagnosis.

Checked the list of CF clinics and Kosair Children's is listed as an accreditted CF facility. Also, I took this information from a CF Foundation brochure we were given at the hospital:

--Children and adults with CF have an increased amount of sodium and chloride (salt) in their sweat. In general, sweat chloride concentrations less than 40 mmol/L are normal (does not have CF); values between 40 to 60 mmol/L are borderline, and sweat chloride concentrations greater than 60 mmol/L are consistent with the diagnosis of CF. For individuals who have CF, the sweat chloride test will be positive from birth. Once a test result is positive, it is always positive. Sweat test values do not change from positive to negative or negative to positive as a person grows older. Sweat test values also do not vary when individuals have colds or other temporary illnesses.

BTW, I'd be crabby too if my tummy was alway upset 'cuz I wasn't digesting food properly and had greasy, foul smelling poo. DS' sweat test was 35; however, he was born with a bowel obstruction caused by meconium illeus. He has greasy loose stools if he doesn't get enough enzymes, he's got a poochy belly. His blood tests showed two copies of the cf mutation delta f508.

It's possible for it to be wrong. They did it multiple times on me when I was a couple months old and couldn't get the same result two times in a row. We went somewhere else and had it confirmed that I had cf.

Once your child is taken to a CF accredited facility they will do genetic testing through a blood sample. This will tell which copies of the CF gene she has. (or does not have)

Unfortunately CF is not on alot of doctors' radars. They treat things symptomatically, where CF is the big picture.

I wish you & your family lots of luck. If it is CF, and your daughter can get on her enzymes, and break down her food properly-- get the proper anti biotics to fight infections- I am certain that her mood will change.

I can't remember how many doctors looked at ds after he was born and didn't pick up on the meconium illeus. They just thought he stooled shortly before he was born. One doctor commented on his big tummy, it was off the cuff and how was I to know I should be concerned -- 'cuz the doctors weren't. And besides CF didn't run in our family....

Wasn't until 10 hours after he was born and he started throwing up green stuff and a neonatologist came on staff and ordered tests and xrays that we got the first clue that ds had cf -- and even then we had to wait almost a week for the blood tests to come back. Sweat test he passed with flying colors -- a 35

A couple of times this week I lurked on the asthma board and I see so many people posting who have children with respiratory problems, big tummies (which they've been told by their doctors is just air), reflux, gi problems and I just wonder -- how many of thos children could actually be misdiagnosed and have CF?