Early Detection and Characterization of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia

Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is a severe genetic disorder caused by various mutations in genes affecting ciliary motility. Various new and complementary diagnostic techniques, including measurements of nasal nitric oxide (NO), Video Microscopy (VM), Immunoflourescence (IF) and genetic analysis have recently been recognized as simpler and more accurate modalities for the diagnosis and characterization of patients with PCD compared to electron microscopy. While considered a rare disease worldwide, PCD is more prevalent among highly consanguineous populations, such as those found in Israel. We hypothesize that using modern state of the art and novel test modalities on a national scale in Israel will improve diagnosis, improve phenotypic-genotypic correlations and create a national registry for PCD.