Parallels between clinical and genetic characteristics in children with primary ciliary dyskinesia

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare genetic disorder that leads to chronic inflammatory damage to the airways and auditory organs. This article presents current information and a study aimed at investigating parallels between the course of PCD and clinical and genetic variant of the disease, which contributes to a timely diagnosis and enables personalized treatment approach. The aim of the study was to identify phenotypic characteristics and chronological patterns of PCD course depending on the genotype. Methods. The study was conducted at the Veltischev Research Clinical Institute of Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (Pirogov Medical University), Ministry of Health of Russia. The study included children with PCD who underwent next generation sequencing (NGS) of the exome. Results. Significant differences were found in the course of PCD based on clinical and genetic characteristics. Children with defects in the genes encoding central pair proteins are characterized by an earlier onset of daily productive cough and recurrent respiratory infections. A similar pattern is typical for patients with defects in the genes encoding the cilia assembly proteins. The first episode of respiratory infection occurs later in patients with defects in the genes encoding dynein handle proteins. Patients who do not have defects in PCD-associated genes are characterized by a late onset of persistent difficulty in nasal breathing, productive cough and respiratory diseases. Conclusion. Identification of clinical and genetic variants of PCD allows prediction of chronological features of the course of the disease.