ABSTRACT

Cystic fibrosis has variable clinical presentations at different ages. We present here a-7-month-old boy admitted with vomiting, hypokalemia, hyponatremia, hypochloremia and metabolic alkalosis that corresponded to a pseudo-Bartter syndrome. He had been hospitalized twice because of vomiting of unknown origin. A sweat test had already been performed and the result was normal. He had been admitted to our pediatrics unit for diagnostic work-up. Reevaluation of physical examination, serum electrolytes, blood gases and cystic fibrosis mutation analysis finally led to a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. We planned to call the attention to the often disregarded message that vomiting may be the only sign of cystic fibrosis. Sometimes invasive tests planned to investigate the etiology of vomiting should be postponed.