blood test

my niece was born in brazil and the test for her blood the dr said was 130 and should be 110 (normal) they did another test today -but results will take one week what is this? she is brazilian he is jewish -no-one in either family has this (cf) ever could he be a carrier? doesn't both have to have the gene? thank you

[National Jewish]

The blood work that is done on an infant to test for cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic test.  This test looks for any genetic changes that would cause CF.  The "gold standard" or best test to look for CF is not a blood test.  It is called a sweat test.  A chemical is placed on the skin, stimulated with an electrode to trigger sweating, the sweat is collected, and the amount of chloride in the sweat is measured.  A high amount of chloride in the sweat means CF.  Sometimes the newest test is used to find CF.  It is called a nasal potential difference (NPD).  Electrodes are placed inside the nose to measure electrical currents.  High measurements mean CF.