The immotile-cilia syndrome and other ciliary diseases.

It is the purpose of this review to present evidence for a 
disorder which is believed to be caused by defective cilia and 
to review some data on the occurrence of abnormal cilia, evidently 
formed in response to environmental insults. The cilium, human ciliated structures, 
the immotile-cilia syndrome and other inborn ciliary diseases, cystic fibrosis, and 
acquired disorders of ciliated structures are discussed. Ciliary activity is not 
vital, but its loss will cause a great deal of discomfort. 
The greatest problems relate to the lower respiratory tract, which is 
also a site of most of the cilia in the body. 
It is striking that a certain degree of clearance can be 
maintained in the lungs in the absence of motile cilia by 
coughing, hawking, and other mechanisms. 