Characteristic symptoms in patients with PCD, stratified by age#
| Neonates | Situs abnormalities Normal situs (∼47%) Situs inversus totalis (∼47%) Situs ambiguus with or without cardiac defects (∼6–12%) Neonatal respiratory distress At term with no risk factors Prolonged oxygen requirement Atelectasis on radiography Persistent rhinorrhoea Family history of PCD |
| Childhood | Wet cough Typically starts in infancy Persistent, year-round, doesn’t completely resolve with antibiotics Bronchiectasis Sometimes present in pre-school year Chronic rhinitis typically starts in infancy Persistent, year round even when “well” Otitis media with effusion (“glue ear”) Conductive hearing loss Variability within and between patients, normal to requiring hearing aids Mucopurulent discharge complicates ventilation tube insertion (evidence poor) |
| Adolescents and adults | As for children, plus Bronchiectasis Almost universal by adulthood Rhinosinusitis, variability within and between patients; symptoms might include Persistent nasal blockage and discharge Conductive hearing loss Sinusitis Anosmia Nasal polyposis Male infertility (not 100% and incidence unclear) Female fertility issues (incidence unclear) |
Not all symptoms may be present. Although individual symptoms are nonspecific, the combination of symptoms is a strong indicator. The early onset and persistence of airway symptoms is typical. #: as hardly any of the available publications has been stratified by age, this table is mainly based on the authors’ expert opinion and will change as good epidemiological data become available; it is based mainly on the pulmonologist’s perspective, as few papers come from ENT, fertility, cardiology or neonatal services and reflect their patient mix.