Stool Study
Fecal Elastase
Most infants with CF do not have the ability to digest and absorb all nutrients because their pancreas does not work correctly. Usually this happens shortly after birth. However, in some children the pancreas does not begin to work incorrectly until later in the first year of life.
Elastase is an enzyme that is made in the pancreas. Measuring the amount of elastase in stool shows how well the pancreas is working. This test will be done when your child is diagnosed and repeated again in the first year of life if it is normal the first time it is checked.