The goal of the study was to evaluate the incidence of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) in children suffering from recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRIs) by means of a noninvasive method. Respiratory ciliated cells were collected by nasal brushing in 118 children (4.6 ± 2.5 years) with RRIs. The ciliary beat frequency (CBF) was measured with a stroboscopic method, and when the CBF was abnormal, the ciliary ultrastructure was analyzed by a quantitative method. The CBF could be measured in 106 patients (90%) and was abnormal in 15 patients. The ciliary ultrastructure was found to be abnormal in 11 of 15 patients: PCD was diagnosed in 6 cases, and acquired ciliary defects were observed in the remaining 5 patients. Our conclusion, that PCD is rare but not exceptional (5.6%) in children with RRIs, justifies the systematic investigation of ciliated cells in such patients. For this purpose, nasal brushing can be used to sample ciliated cells even in young children.
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