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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffCystic fibrosis signs and symptoms can vary from child to child, depending on the severity of the disease. Even in the same child, symptoms may worsen or improve as time passes. In some children, symptoms begin during infancy. Other people may not begin experiencing symptoms until adolescence or adulthood.
One of the first signs of cystic fibrosis is an excessively salty taste to the skin. People with cystic fibrosis tend to have higher than normal amounts of salt in their sweat. Parents often can taste the salt when they kiss their child.
Most of the other signs and symptoms of cystic fibrosis affect the respiratory system or the digestive system.
Respiratory signs and symptoms
The thick and sticky mucus associated with cystic fibrosis clogs the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. This can cause:
- Persistent cough
- Wheezing
- Repeated lung infections
- Repeated sinus infections
Digestive signs and symptoms
The thick mucus can also block tubes that carry digestive enzymes from your pancreas to your small intestine. Without these digestive enzymes, your intestines can't fully absorb the nutrients in the food you eat. This can cause:
- Foul-smelling, greasy stools
- Poor weight gain and growth
- Distended abdomen from constipation
- Intestinal blockage, particularly in newborns
When to see a doctor
Talk to your doctor if your child:
- Isn't growing properly
- Has a productive cough
- Has repeated lung or sinus infections
- Has frequent fatty, bad-smelling stools
Seek immediate medical care if your child has difficulty breathing.
- What is cystic fibrosis? National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cf/cf_all.html. Accessed Dec. 9, 2009.
- Welsh MJ. Cystic fibrosis. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/175336803-3/0/1492/366.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50094-X_3680. Accessed Dec. 11, 2009.
- Boat TF, et al. Cystic fibrosis. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/175336803-3/0/1608/945.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50402-3--cesec14_7740. Accessed Dec. 11, 2009.
- Katkin JP. Cystic fibrosis: Clinical manifestations and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/hme/index.html. Accessed Dec. 11, 2009.
- Cystic fibrosis. Genetics Home Reference. National Institutes of Health. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=cysticfibrosis. Accessed Dec. 11, 2009.
- What is bronchiectasis? National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/brn/brn_whatis.html. Accessed Jan. 4, 2010.
- Simon RH. Cystic fibrosis: Overview of the treatment of lung disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 14, 2009.
- An introduction to postural drainage and percussion. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. http://www.cff.org/UploadedFiles/treatments/Therapies/Respiratory/PosturalDrainage/An%20Introduction%20to%20Postural%20Drainage%20and%20Percussion%201-2006.pdf. Accessed Dec. 14, 2009.
- Airway clearance techniques. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. http://www.cff.org/treatments/Therapies/Respiratory/AirwayClearance/. Accessed Dec. 14, 2009.
- Baker RD, et al. Cystic fibrosis: Nutritional issues. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 14, 2009.
- Wenstrom KD. Cystic fibrosis: Prenatal genetic screening. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 14, 2009.
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