Disease:
Definitions
| Primary | Ciliary | Dyskinesia |
| inherited, i.e., not due to an outside source such as smoking or infection | pertaining to the cilia | improper movement |
| Kartagener´s Syndrome | ||
the complete triad of PCD with:
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What do "Kartagener´s Syndrome" and "Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia" mean?
PCD is a genetic disease, affecting the upper and lower airways of the lungs.
Through an inherited defective gene, the cilia in these people are either immotile (unable to move) or dysmotile (they move incorrectly). As a result, it is impossible to keep the lungs and sinuses clear of fluids, which can lead to congestion and infection.
This produces the following symptoms:
- frequent cough
- chronic runny nose
- frequent middle ear infections, sometimes with some hearing loss
| Normal cilia movement | Cilia with PCD | |
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50% of PCD patients have Situs inversus, a situation where their organs are completely reversed (heart on the right, etc.).
For these patients, the disease is called Kartagener's Syndrome.
