How is Cystic Fibrosis diagnosed?

Cystic Fibrosis is increasingly being diagnosed through screening, but some babies and older children (and even adults) are diagnosed following unexplained illness.

There are three types of screening for Cystic Fibrosis: newborn screening, carrier testing and antenatal testing.

 Newborn Testing:

The test is a heel-prick to sample blood as part of the normal Guthrie test carried out on all children. The sooner cystic fibrosis is diagnosed, the sooner appropriate treatment can begin.

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