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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffThe specific signs and symptoms of cystic fibrosis can vary with the severity of the disease. For example, one child with cystic fibrosis may have respiratory problems but not digestive problems, while another child may have both. In addition, the signs and symptoms of cystic fibrosis may vary with age.
Signs and symptoms in newborns
In some newborns, the first sign may be a blockage of their intestines (meconium ileus). This occurs when meconium — tarry, greenish-black stools normally passed by an infant during the first day or two after birth — becomes so thick it can't move through the intestines. Other signs in newborns may include:
- Failure to grow
- Bulky and greasy stools (steatorrhea)
- Frequent respiratory infections
Signs and symptoms in children and young adults
Cystic fibrosis symptoms in children and young adults may include:
- Salty taste to the skin. People with cystic fibrosis tend to have higher than normal amounts of salt (sodium chloride) in their sweat. This may be one of the first signs parents notice because they can taste the salt when they kiss their child.
- Blockage in the bowels.
- Foul-smelling, greasy stools.
- Delayed growth.
- Thick sputum. It's easy for parents to overlook this sign because young children tend to swallow their sputum rather than cough it up.
- Coughing or wheezing.
- Frequent chest and sinus infections with recurring pneumonia or bronchitis.
- Protrusion of part of the rectum through the anus (rectal prolapse). This is often caused by stools that are difficult to pass or by frequent coughing.
- Enlargement or rounding (clubbing) of the fingertips and toes. Although clubbing eventually occurs in most people with cystic fibrosis, it also occurs in some people born with heart disease and other types of lung problems.
Cystic fibrosis may also be accompanied by:
- Growths (polyps) in the nasal passages
- Cirrhosis of the liver due to inflammation or obstruction of the bile ducts
- Displacement of one part of the intestine into another part of the intestine (intussusception) in children older than age 4
