What Are the Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis?

The symptoms of cystic fibrosis vary. Some children will have symptoms at birth, while others may not have symptoms for weeks, months, or even years.
The severity of symptoms also varies, with some children showing only mild digestive and lung problems and others having severe food-absorption problems and life-threatening breathing complications.

Understanding Cystic Fibrosis
The most common symptoms of cystic fibrosis are:
Salty-tasting skin, which parents notice when they kiss their child
Frequent coughing, wheezing, or bouts of pneumonia or sinusitis
Difficulty breathing that keeps getting worse
Big appetite but poor weight gain
Bulky, smelly, greasy bowel movements
Over time, the symptoms of cystic fibrosis can worsen and may include:
Pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas
Liver disease
Diabetes
Gallstones

What causes cystic fibrosis?

A defect in the CFTR gene causes cystic fibrosis (CF). This gene makes a protein that controls the movement of salt and water in and out of your body's cells. In people who have CF, the gene makes a protein that doesn't work well. This causes thick, sticky mucus and very salty sweat.

Research suggests that the CFTR protein also affects the body in other ways. This may help explain other symptoms and complications of CF.

More than a thousand known defects can affect the CFTR gene. The type of defect you or your child has may affect the severity of CF. Other genes also may play a role in the severity of the disease.