How noticeable is the salty skin that people get with cystic fibrosis?

Depends on Severity: This would depend on the severity of the disease state in the individual, but by and large, it's enough of a difference from "normal" sweat to make one take notice. Clinically, the sweat chloride level is measured twice to make the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (cf). The cutoff level to make the diagnosis of CF is 60 milliequivalents per liter of sweat chloride.

Not a reliable test: Since cystic fibrosis is known to be caused by more than 1900 different mutations, the disease severity varies from very mild to very severe in different people. The classic severe forms can have the salty skin, but milder forms may not have it. A sweat chloride test done at an accredited CF center lab can help to confirm the diagnosis. Please contact a pediatric pulmonologist if you have concerns.