Sweat Test
Current as of: December 12, 2018
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:John Pope, MD, MPH – Pediatrics & Kathleen Romito, MD – Family Medicine & R. Steven Tharratt, MD, FACP, FCCP – Pulmonology, Critical Care Medicine
A sweat test is used to diagnose cystic fibrosis. During the test, medicine that causes sweating is applied with a gauze pad to either the arm or the thigh. A mild electrical current pushes the medicine into the skin to cause the child to sweat. The sweat is collected, and then the salt content of the sweat (sodium…