Abstract
ABSTRACT.: In order to determine if expression of the eystic fibrosis gene can be detected in heterozygotes, we determined sweat responses induced by local stimulation with cholinergic and β-adrenergic agents for 20 heterozygotes, 19 age- and sex-matched controls, and five subjects with cystic fibrosis. Active sweat glands were counted and sweat droplets were collected in constant bore capillaries and measured optically. Kach subject was tested two to six times. The central finding was that the sweat response of carriers was significantly lower than controls to β-adrenergic stimulation (P= 0.0013, two-tailed r test; P < 0.02, Mann-Whitney U). while cystic fibrosis homozygotes did not sweat at all. In contrast, the cholinergic sweat responses did not differ between carriers and controls. For both groups the correlation between cholinergic and (1- adrenergic sweating was positive, but a linear regression of β-adrenergic sweat responses as a function of cholinergic sweat responses yielded slopes that were significantly different for the two groups. The ratio of β-adrenergic to cholinergic sweating was plotted for each subject; the mean ratio of the carriers was approximately half of the mean for the controls (P = 0.0002 using r test or P<0.002 using the Mann-Whitney U). Our results confirm previous studies and provide new evidence that carriers have, on average, a β-adrenergically stimulated secretory response that is significantly reduced relative to the control response.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Behm, J., Hagiwara, G., Leviston, N. et al. Hyposecretion of β-Adrenergically Induced Sweating in Cystic Fibrosis Heterozygotes. Pediatr Res 22, 271–276 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198709000-00007
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198709000-00007
This article is cited by
-
A century of exercise physiology: concepts that ignited the study of human thermoregulation. Part 2: physiological measurements
European Journal of Applied Physiology (2023)
-
Image-based β-adrenergic sweat rate assay captures minimal cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator function
Pediatric Research (2020)
-
Sweat rate analysis of ivacaftor potentiation of CFTR in non-CF adults
Scientific Reports (2018)
-
Regional variations in transepidermal water loss, eccrine sweat gland density, sweat secretion rates and electrolyte composition in resting and exercising humans
Extreme Physiology & Medicine (2013)
-
The ΔF508-CFTR mutation inhibits wild-type CFTR processing and function when co-expressed in human airway epithelia and in mouse nasal mucosa
BMC Physiology (2012)