The lifelong problem is often diagnosed at birth when babies have breathing problems.
Symptoms can be mild or severe and vary by person.
Year-round nasal congestion and chronic cough are common.
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Treatment involves keeping airways clear and fighting illness.
This article describes PCD causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
It also details ways to help maintain your health if you have this problem.
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Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Symptoms
PCD is considered a rare disease.
It occurs in about 1 in 16,000 to 20,000 births.
PCD affects your body by damaging the cilia.
The cilia in the lungs move back and forth in a coordinated way to helpmucustravel toward your throat.
This helps to remove fluid, bacteria, and other particles from your lungs.
How Can Nonfunctioning Cilia Make Me Sick?
Cilia affected by dyskinesia lose their ability to remove inhaled germs efficiently.
Ciliary dysfunction allows mucus buildup and infection in your lungs and other mucus membranes.
The impact of nonfunctioning cilia varies by individual.
The most common effects of abnormal cilia include the following:
What Causes PCD?
PCD is a genetic disorder that follows an autosomal recessive genetic inheritance.
A baby’s chances of having this disorder depend on their parents.
A baby born with PCD has inherited the same abnormal gene for the PCD trait from each parent.
It’s not possible to know whether you have PCD by symptoms alone.
Symptoms typically occur shortly after birth or in early childhood and continue throughout your lifetime.
Other Symptoms of PCD
Symptoms of PCD usually start very early in life, often from birth.
While treatments can help reduce infections, symptoms typically worsen and last a lifetime.
In addition, new health issues can occur as a result of recurring infections.
The most common ongoing PCD symptoms include:
How Is PCD Diagnosed?
What Is PCD Treatment Like?
There is no cure for PCD.
There is no formal evidence about the life expectancy of people with PCD.
Overall, people with PCD experience a lifetime of significant illness and a decreased quality of life.
However, the reduction in lifespan and symptom intensity are not consistent across individuals.
There is a wide range of disease progression and life expectancies with PCD.
The physical and emotional impact of this condition can also affect your employment.
This prevents these tiny structures from doing their job of protecting your airways from disease.
This chronic disease is often present at birth when it causes problems in normal breathing.
Symptoms can worsen with time, ranging from mild to severe.
For many people, PCD causes a decline in quality of life and chronic illness.
There is no cure for PCD.
Treatment involves keeping your airways clear and working to fight the risk of infection.
The outlook varies for people with PCD.
While it can be severe, many people live active and normal lives with it.
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