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Background: As diagnostic methods for primary ciliary dyskinesia are not generally available, we tested whether clinical criteria allow to preselect patients with a high probability of this disease, who should be further investigated in a specialized centre., Patients and Methods: In patients with chronic cough we compared parameters of the case history with the finding of a reduced ciliary beat frequency (CBF). Data sheets of 323 patients (133 females, 190 males) aged 1 week through 40 years (median age 4.5 years) were available for analysis. Of these patients 46 (14%) had a reduced CBF., Results: In this group the following features were found significantly more frequently compared to patients with normal CBF: neonatal respiratory disorder (odds ratio (OR) 9.0; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 3.2;25), situs inversus (OR 8.1; 95% CI 2.5;26), retention of airway secretions (OR 6.7; 95% CI 2.4;19), recurrent pneumonia (OR 4.1; 95% CI 1.8;9.5), bronchiectasis (OR 3.5; 95% CI 1.2;11), asthma with poor response to treatment (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.1;5.3). At least one of these potential indicators was present in 91% of the patients with reduced CBF., Conclusions: In patients with chronic cough specific parameters of the case history indicate a high probability of a reduced ciliary beat frequency which is an indicator for primary ciliary dyskinesia. If none of these findings is present, a reduced CBF is highly unlikely., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most frequent cause of hospitalization for respiratory tract infection during the first 2 years of life. Recently the monoclonal antibody Palivizumab was approved for prophylaxis of RSV infection. Guidelines for the use of Palivizumab are based on data from North America and Great Britain. The epidemiology of RSV infection and patient management procedures may vary from one country to another. This study was designed to analyze the spectrum of patients hospitalized in Germany for RSV infection. During the 1998 to 1999 RSV season RSV-infected children admitted to twenty hospitals were followed. Of 222 RSV-infected patients 17.6 % (39) were born at 32 weeks of gestation or earlier and 16.2 % (36) between 33 weeks and 35 weeks. There were significant differences (P < 0.01) between the extremely preterm infants and the other patients in frequency of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, supplemental oxygen and age at hospital admission. In addition, both preterm groups had a significant longer length of hospital stay compared to the infants born at term. Thus, the current guidelines seem to be appropriate for selection of infants to receive RSV prophylaxis.