Sweat potassium concentration may help to identify falsification of sweat test: a case report.
OBJECTIVE
To document the relevance of sweat potassium concentration in a reported case of a white Caucasian 27-month-old boy who presented with non-specific respiratory symptoms and several abnormal sweat test results compatible with cystic fibrosis (CF).


METHODS
Repeated sweat tests using the Gibson-Cooke technique in the presence and absence of the mother.


RESULTS
The high within- and between-test variability, the very low sweat potassium concentrations, several aspects of the family's history and a negative exhaustive genetic analysis to identify any CFTR mutation, raised suspicion for pediatric condition falsification. Two additional sweat tests performed in the absence of the mother were normal.


CONCLUSIONS
CF diagnosis was then discarded and a Munchausen syndrome by proxy diagnosis was proposed.
Pediatric Pulmonology and Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Cliniques Universitaires St Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. anissa.leonard@uclouvain.be
A
A
Leonard
T
T
Leal
V
V
Godding
P
P
Villanueva
P
P
Wallemacq
P
P
Lebecque
D002675:Child, Preschool; D002712:Chlorides / Q000032:analysis*; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016735:Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011188:Potassium / Q000032:analysis*; D013542:Sweat / Q000737:chemistry*
D002712:Chlorides; D011188:Potassium