The procedure is carried out by appointment, on Thursday morning, in the Pathology department at Basildon hospital.  It should take about an hour.  No special preparation is required, but you may find it useful to bring a favourite toy or book for a young child.

The sweat test is performed so that the concentration of salt in the sweat can be measured.  It is usually done for children who have recurrent chest infections, regular bouts of diarrhoea, or are not gaining adequate weight.  It is undertaken to exclude cystic fibrosis, a condition that may have these symptoms.

Occasionally for technical reasons (such as the sweat sample being too small) the test may have to be repeated.  Should this be necessary, we will normally contact you within two working days.

We usually test the sweat sample within one day of collection.  Your doctor should have the results early in the week following the test. 

Procedure

The procedure is not painful, although there may be a slight tingling sensation, or discomfort when the collector is attached.

Two moist gel pads are placed on the forearm; one contains a solution to stimulate sweating. 

The solution is drawn into the sweat glands for five minutes, by a small electric current from a torch battery.

The skin is then washed, and the sweat is allowed to collect into a plastic tube for about thirty minutes. 

You may leave the department during this time, returning after 30 minutes, so that the test can be finished by removing the sweat collector analysis.

The skin will look red; but this coloration will normally disappear by the next day.

Last edited 07/08/08