12th May 2024

A 7-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis is brought to the clinic with a persistent cough, recurrent chest infections, and failure to gain weight despite a good appetite.

A 7-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis is brought to the clinic with a persistent cough, recurrent chest infections, and failure to gain weight despite a good appetite. The child’s stool is bulky, foul-smelling, and appears oily.

Which pathophysiological process is most likely to be responsible for this disorder?