Smoking and the state of the ciliary epithelium of the respiratory tract in adolescents

Objective: To study the effect of smoking on the ciliary epithelium of the respiratory tract in children.Material and methods. 931 schoolchildren aged from 13 to 17 years underwent the following examinations: questionnaire, express-test of cotinine in urine, ciliary activity of the epithelium.Results. According to the questionnaire, 13,6% of schoolchildren aged from 13 to 17 years were smokers. 33,6% of schoolchildren demonstrated a positive cotinine express-test. The ciliary beat frequency was 4,93 [4,23-5,67] Hz in smokers, which was significantly lower than in the control group (p<0,05). Relative number of cells with mobile cilia was 30,0 [15,0-45,0] %, which is significantly reduced as compared with the control group (p<0,05). Only 19% of patients preserved synchronous cilia movement, which was significantly lower than in the control group (p<0,05).Conclusion. Cigarette smoke has a significant negative effect on the functional state of the respiratory epithelium, which can lead to impaired mucociliary clearance and contribute to the development of acute and chronic diseases of the respiratory tract in children