Screening and Varying Levels of Severity in CF

In Australia, screening for CF occurs shortly after birth for every child, tested for alongside many other conditions with the Guthrie heel prick test. The test looks for increased levels of trypsin, a digestive enzyme, which is markedly increased in every newborn. This detects around 95% of cases, and is confirmed with a sweat test.

The severity of CF varies markedly between individuals, and there is mounting evidence that subtle differences in other genes - besides the defective genes known to cause cystic fibrosis - can significantly modify the inherited disease's severity.

The extent to which the different body systems are involved varies greatly between patient. This difference in severity has many implications for both the treatment and prognossis for the patient with CF, and is largely determined by the extent the lungs are affected.