Kartagener Syndrome

It is a specific genetic subtype of 'Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia', where the body's microscopic moving hairs (cilia) do not work, accompanied by the internal organs being placed on the opposite side.

Cilia are brushes that sweep out phlegm/dust in the lungs and sinuses. When they do not work, microbe-filled phlegm accumulates in the lungs, causing continuous infections and chronic cough (bronchiectasis).

In about half of the patients, because the cilia do not function during development in the womb, the organs cannot find their orientation; the heart is placed on the right side, and the liver on the left side (like a mirror image).

Yes. In men, the tail (flagellum) of the sperm is also a cilium and cannot move, making natural pregnancy very difficult. In women, ectopic pregnancy or infertility is seen because the cilia in the tubes carrying the egg to the uterus do not work.

It is noticed on the Chest X-ray of children with constantly recurring complaints of pneumonia and sinusitis that the heart is on the right. The definitive diagnosis is made by examining a brush biopsy taken from the nasal mucosa or respiratory tract under an electron microscope (ciliary immotility).

There is no genetic cure for the disease. The main goal of treatment is to apply daily respiratory physiotherapy to expel accumulated phlegm and to prevent organ damage by immediately drying out lung/sinus infections with aggressive antibiotics.