kartagener syndrome clinical presentation
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Kartagener Syndrome Clinical Presentation
Author: John P Bent lll, MD; Chief Editor: Zab Mosenifar, MD more...
Updated: Apr 19, 2013
History
Patients present with chronic upper and lower respiratory tract disease resulting from ineffective mucociliary
clearance. A typical presentation is that of rhinorrhea and/or mucopurulent discharge since birth. Immotile
spermatozoa result in male sterility.
Physical
Kartagener syndrome is characterized by the clinical triad of chronic sinusitis, bronchiectasis, and situs inversus.The majority of patients are seen by a physician more than 50 times before the diagnosis is made at an average
age of 10-14 years.[11]
Upper airway
Patients may exhibit chronic, thick, mucoid rhinorrhea from early in childhood. Examination usually reveals pale
and swollen nasal mucosa, mucopurulent secretions, and an impaired sense of smell. Nasal polyps are
recognized in 30% of affected individuals. [14]
The recurrent chronic sinusitis typically produces sinus pressure headaches in the maxillary and periorbital region.
Symptoms usually improve with antibiotic therapy but have a propensity for rapid recurrence. [14]
Recurrent otitis media is a common manifestation of primary ciliary dyskinesia. Examination may reveal a
retracted tympanic membrane with poor or absent mobility and a middle-ear effusion. Other associated otologic
disorders may include tympanosclerosis, cholesteatoma, and keratosis obturans.[14]
Middle ear symptoms in PCD patients tend to remain severe throughout childhood, with improvement only after
age 18 years, and, in a recent study, grommet tympanostomy tube placement did not improve the middle ear
condition. In this study, half the patients with a history of grommet placement eventually developed tympanic
perforation, which is much more frequent than in the general pediatric population. These patients, therefore, should
be closely followed and a specific treatment approach may be required, especially in the treatment of persistent
middle ear effusion, as repeated grommet placement can predispose patients to chronic otitis and worsen the
prognosis. [15]
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Lower respiratory tract
Chronic bronchitis, recurrent pneumonia, and bronchiectasis are common conditions in patients with primary
ciliary dyskinesia and are often caused by pseudomonal infection.[16] Thus, upon physical examination of the
patient's chest, increased tactile fremitus, rhonchi, crackles, and, occasionally, wheezes may be present.
Obstructive lung disease may be another component of Kartagener syndrome symptomatology. It probably results
from elevated levels of local inflammatory mediators in a chronically irritated airway. Therefore, wheezing may
occur. The lung examination may be normal during intercurrent periods when the airway is not actively inflamed.
Other features
Cardiovascular examination of a patient with KS demonstrates a point of maximal impulse, and the heart sounds
are heard best on the right side of the chest.
Extremities may exhibit digital clubbing.
Causes
The cause of primary ciliary dyskinesia is genetic, with an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. Genome
analysis has found primary ciliary dyskinesia to be genetically heterogenous. Genes DNAH5 and DNA11 on bands
5p15.1 and 9p13,3 respectively, are known to cause primary ciliary dyskinesia. Both genes encode for dynein. [17]
There are more than 200 genes, however, that are predicted to be involved in cilia biology and may play a role in
primary ciliary dyskinesia and other ciliopathies.[18]
Recently a gene protein, CCDC40, has been characterized as playing an essential role in correct left-right
patterning in mouse, zebrafish, and humans. In mouse and zebrafish, CCDC40 is expressed in tissues that
contain motile cilia. Mutations in this protein result in cilia with reduced ranges of motility and likely result in a
variant of primary ciliary dyskinesia characterized by misplacement of the central pair of microtubules and
defective assembly of inner dynein arms and dynein regulatory complexes.[19]
Onoufriadis et al have described loss-of-function mutations in CCDC114 as causing PCD with laterality
malformations. The result of these mutations is a loss of the outer dynein arms. Fertility is apparently not greatly
affected by CCDC114 deficiency.[20]
Adenylate kinase type 7 (AK7), the mediator of the reaction of ADP to ATP and AMP, is also diminished
significantly in patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia compared with healthy controls. AK7 expression has also
been correlated with ciliary beat frequency in this patient population.[21]
Contributor Information and Disclosures Author
John P Bent lll, MD Associate Professor, Director of Medical Student Education, Departments of
Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery and Pediatrics, Albert Einstein School of Medicine; Director, Airway
Clinic, Children's Hospital at Montefiore
John P Bent lll, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head
and Neck Surgery, American Medical Association, American Rhinologic Society, American Society of Pediatric
Otolaryngology, Society for Ear, Nose and Throat Advances in Children, and Society of University
Otolaryngologists-Head and Neck Surgeons
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.
Coauthor(s)
Elena B Willis, MD Resident Physician, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Albert Einstein College of
Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center
Elena B Willis, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head
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and Neck Surgery, American Medical Student Association/Foundation, and Wilderness Medical Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.
Specialty Editor Board
Ryland P Byrd Jr, MD Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Diseases and
Critical Care Medicine, East Tennessee State University, James H Quillen College of Medicine
Ryland P Byrd Jr, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians
and American Thoracic Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.
Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center
College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference
Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment
Daniel R Ouellette, MD, FCCP Associate Professor of Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine;
Senior Academic Advisor, Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Program, Henry Ford Hospital; Vice Chair,
Health and Science Policy Committee, American College of Chest Physicians
Daniel R Ouellette, MD, FCCP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of ChestPhysicians, American Thoracic Society, and Society of Critical Care Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.
Timothy D Rice, MD Associate Professor, Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and Adolescent
Medicine, St Louis University School of Medicine
Timothy D Rice, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics and
American College of Physicians
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.
Chief Editor
Zab Mosenifar, MD Director, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Director, Women's Guild
Pulmonary Disease Institute, Professor and Executive Vice Chair, Department of Medicine, Cedars Sinai
Medical Center, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine
Zab Mosenifar, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians,
American College of Physicians, American Federation for Medical Research, and American Thoracic Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.
Additional Contributors
The authors and editors of Medscape Reference gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous authors,Matthew Olearczyk, MD and Esther X Vivas, MD, to the development and writing of this article.
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