Primary ciliary dyskinesia

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD, also: Kartagener syndrome) is a hereditary disease characterized by congenital cortical malocclusion.

Due to defects of the structural and functional proteins, the cilia are altered in structure and therefore inoperable in the PCD patient. The self-cleaning of the upper (nose, sinuses, middle ear area) and lower respiratory tract (bronchi, lungs) is therefore inefficient.

As a result, there is polyp formation in the nasopharynx, chronic cold, persistent cough, as well as limited hearing due to increased middle ear infections and recurrent pneumonia.

In 50% of those affected, there is a mirror-image arrangement of the internal organs (for example, heart right instead of left) called situs inversus. In this case, the condition is defined as "Kartagener syndrome".