Subscribe to our newsletter. The passages of the upper and lower airways are lined with cells that possess a very special and important feature, cilia.
Cilia are microscopic hair-like projections that beat in unison like waves in a wheat field.
This movement helps propel mucus created within the airways to the throat where it's coughed out or swallowed. This movement of mucus serves to keep the Respiratory System clear of dust, dirt, and debris, helping to prevent infection. There are other ciliated cells in the body, some are located in the ventricles of the brain. Sperm cells are also ciliated. Immotile Cilia Syndrome, also known as Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, Dynein, or Kartegener's Syndrome, is an inherited condition where the cilia lining the airways fail to function or function ineffectively.