Publication

INTERNAL MEDICINE 49, 14, 1437 - 1440 (2010)
Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia that Responded to Long-Term, Low-Dose Clarithromycin

Author

Daisuke Yoshioka , Noriho Sakamoto , Yuji Ishimatsu , Tomoyuki Kakugawa , Hiroshi Ishii , Hiroshi Mukae , Jun-ichi Kadota , Shigeru Kohno

Category

Original Research

Abstract

A 46-year-old man was referred to our hospital with hemoptysis. He had been diagnosed with chronic sinusitis since childhood, but had received no treatment. Chest CT showed a diffuse centrilobular granular shadow and thickened bronchial walls. Otitis media and decreased spermatic motor ability were identified. In addition, electron microscopy of a biopsy specimen of the nasal mucosa showed a deficiency of inner dynein. Based on these clinical findings, primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) was diagnosed and successfully treated with long-term, low-dose clarithromycin. Although the effects of macrolide therapy remain controversial, long-term treatment with low-dose clarithromycin might confer clinical benefits upon patients with PCD.