Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare, genetically heterogeneous disorder which results from the dysfunction of small hair-like organelles, called motile cilia. Motile cilia project from the apical side of epithelial cells that line up the upper and lower airways (respiratory cilia) and can be found in a variety of other tissues. PCD patients usually suffer from recurrent respiratory infections which lead to chronic destructive airway disease characterized by progressive loss of lung function and structural damage to the airways (bronchiectasis).

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a hereditary multi-organ disease caused by pathogenic alterations in the gene of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a protein that regulates chloride transport in the cell membrane. The disease affects mostly the lungs, causing sticky mucus secretions and frequent infections, but also the liver, the pancreas, body growth, etc. In Cyprus, due to high temperatures, about 34% of patients present with severe dehydration and electrolyte disorders as the first symptom of the disease.

CF care in Cyprus has been implemented since 1997, after the establishment of a tertiary Pediatric Pulmonology Clinic in the ‘‘Archbishop Makarios III’’ Hospital in Nicosia. The prevalence of CF at birth in Cyprus is around 1 in 8000 live births.