Dr. Perlstein received his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati and then completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at The New York Hospital, Cornell medical Center in New York City. After serving an additional year as Chief Pediatric Resident, he worked as a private practitioner and then was appointed Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
The goal of this test is to painlessly stimulate the patient's skin to produce a large enough amount of sweat which may then be absorbed by a special filter paper and analyzed for the content of chloride in the sweat. Patients with cystic fibrosis produce larger quantities of sweat chloride than normal individuals.
How is the sweat chloride test done?
To produce the necessary volume of sweat, a technique called iontophoresis is employed. The technique requires the application of a tiny (painless) electrical current that medically stimulates maximum sweat production.
The patient's forearm is commonly used. However, in small infants, the back may also serve as an appropriate area to perform this procedure.
How long does the test take?
The sweat chloride test usually takes about one-half to one hour.
What is done with the sweat?
The sweat is collected on a specialized filter paper. After determining that enough sweat has been collected to ensure test reliability, the amount of chloride in the sweat is measured. This is considered a specialized test, and not all institutions have experience with the techniques, and poor collection techniques can result in false negative results.
What are normal sweat chloride levels?
The normal sweat chloride values are 10-35
milliequivalents per liter.
What is the sweat chloride level in cystic fibrosis?
Patients with cystic fibrosis usually have a sweat chloride value greater than 60 milliequivalents per liter.
What if the sweat chloride is intermediate (between normal and the usual cystic fibrosis levels)?
Intermediate values between 35 and 60 milliequivalents per liter may be seen in some cystic fibrosis patients (and in some normal children). In those cases, the sweat chloride test should be repeated in the very near future.
Cystic fibrosis is a disease of the mucus and sweat glands. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease. The outcome of the disease leaves the body malnourished, bulky and fouls smelling stools, vitamin insufficiency, gas, painful or swollen abdomen, infertility, susceptible to heat emergencies, and respiratory failure. There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, treatment of symptoms is used to manage the disease.
Genetic disease is a disorder or condition caused by abnormalities in a person's genome. Types of genetic inheritance include single inheritance (for example, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, Marfan syndrome, and hemochromatosis), multifactoral inheritance, chromosome abnormalities (for example, Turner syndrome, and Klinefelter syndrome), and mitochondrial inheritance (for example, epilepsy and dementia).
Your health care provider may refer you to a genetic professional. Universities and medical centers also often have affiliated genetic professionals, or can provide referrals to a genetic professional or genetics clinic. Genetic counseling provides patients and family members the tools to make the right choice in regard to test for a disease or condition.
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