VARIABILITY IN CILIARY BEAT FREQUENCY IN NORMAL SUBJECTS AND IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIECTASIS

Background-There is a wide variation in tracheobronchial clearance of inhaled aerosol in normal subjects and in patients with bronchiectasis , but little information is available on the variability in ciliary be at frequency (CBF). Methods-The variability in CBF was measured in 10 nasal mucosal samples from each of 19 normal controls and 23 stable br onchiectatic subjects. Results-The CBF varied at different mucosal sit es in both normal subjects and bronchiectatic patients. Although the C BF of the fastest beating cilia was similar in both groups, the CBF of the slowest beating cilia was, on average, lower and showed greater w ithin subject variation in bronchiectatic than in normal subjects. Con clusions-There is a wide variation in CBF in nasal mucosal samples and this is significantly wider in bronchiectatic subjects with some cili a beating slowly. This may be a consequence of chronic inflammation or infection.