Researchers at UTHealth Houston have identified different types of hidden systemic inflammation in patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia, even when they are not experiencing acute illness.
The survey results are American Thoracic Society Annual Report.
A research team led by Ricardo Mosquera, MD, professor and director of pediatric pulmonary and sleep medicine at McGovern Medical School at UT Health Houston, and Giuseppe Colasuldo, MD, professor of pediatric pulmonary and sleep medicine at McGovern Medical School, found that a simple oral swab can detect the same inflammatory signals seen in blood, making it easier to identify and monitor ongoing inflammation, especially in patients with primary ciliary disease. Dyskinesia.
Primary ciliary dyskinesia is a rare lung disease that affects approximately 1 in 7,500 to 10,000 live births worldwide. Symptoms often begin in the newborn period. As children grow, it is common to experience chronic wet coughs, persistent nasal congestion, recurrent respiratory infections, frequent pneumonia, chronic ear and sinus infections, and asthma-like symptoms. If not properly controlled, ongoing inflammation can lead to progressive lung damage over time.
These findings help understand why lung disease worsens over time in children with primary ciliary dyskinesia. These open the door to using existing anti-inflammatory therapies in new ways. They also point to better and more accurate ways to monitor how patients respond to treatment. ”
Ricardo Mosquera, MD, MS, Professor and Chief of Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas at Houston
Researchers evaluated patients in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Mexico and demonstrated that home saliva collection is feasible in a diverse population, allowing easy needle-free sample collection at home, and potentially improving comfort and monitoring.
In the future, researchers believe this approach could provide an easy way to identify which treatments work best for a particular child and monitor whether those treatments are effective. The ultimate goal is to move toward more individualized care, where treatment decisions are based on each patient’s unique inflammatory profile.
“The impact of this research could extend far beyond primary ciliary dyskinesia,” Mosquera said. “Many chronic lung diseases are associated with persistent inflammation, and this simple oral swab could help researchers and clinicians better understand how these conditions affect each patient.”
This project was supported by a philanthropic grant (Graham Family Scholar – Project 18624).
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Reference magazines:
Mosquera, R.A.et al. (2026) Multi-omics analysis defines endotype and systemic inflammation in primary ciliary dyskinesia: comparison with healthy controls. Annual Report of the American Thoracic Society. https://academic.oup.com/annalsats/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/annalsats/aaoag152/8703978
