How accurate is blood screening?
Screening isn’t always this straightforward. There are many other rare mutations. If the baby has a very high level of IRP and doesn’t show the common mutations, the midwife will do another heel-prick test when the child is between three and four weeks of age. If the IRP is still raised, there’s a very good chance the child has CF. Are there any other tests to check my child for cystic fibrosis? Your consultant might also recommend a ‘sweat test’. The sweat glands of cystic fibrosis sufferers can’t remove the salt from their sweat, so their sweat has a very high level of salt, which we can test for. More frequently asked questions on cystic fibrosis screening are answered on the UK Newborn Screening Centre website (links to external site).
