Sorry for the huge post here - I've been doing a lil bit of reading:
Cilia are tiny hair-like organelles that reside on the surface of cells for the purpose of sweeping debris away from lung and nasal cavities. Cilia also line the Eustachian tubes, and sinuses, as well as the fallopian tubes in women. For each ciliated cell in the body, there are between 100 and 200 cilia, each one anchored by another organelle known as the basal body. Constructed of hollow cylindrical microtubules, each basal body is arranged in the same orientation to allow the movement of fluid and particles to occur in one direction.
There are two types of cilia: motile cilia and non-motile cilia. The former continuously move in a wave-like fashion in a single direction, while the latter function as sensory organs that respond to stimulus. All cilium, however, are composed of several types of proteins that work synergistically together to stimulate ciliary motion. If one protein is absent or becomes damaged, then the cilia may remain rigid. Polycystic kidney disease and tubal pregnancies, for example, are due to impaired cilia functioning.
The most common reason to suffer damaged or paralyzed cilia, however, is smoking. Normally, healthy cilia in the bronchial tubes work in sync with specialized cells that produce mucous to capture and remove impurities out of the lungs. Smokers, on the other hand, are subjected to about 4,000 toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke, including arsenic, methane, and carbon monoxide. The cumulative effect of smoking on the cilia is that dirt, environmental pollutants, and toxins from cigarette smoke remain in the lungs. Furthermore, these toxins migrate from the lungs via the bloodstream to other organs.
In response to the presence of excess irritants, mucous cells in the lungs become stimulated to produce more mucous than they normally would. Of course, with damaged cilia, the lungs have no means of moving the mucous out. This usually results in an unproductive cough. In fact, the damage to cilia caused by smoking leaves the smoker at significantly higher risk for frequent respiratory infections, or chronic bronchitis.
Continued smoking may eventually lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema) or lung cancer. In fact, smoking eventually destroys the cilia, which may then be displaced by an excessive number of basal cells, or cancerous squamous cells. Over time, these cells may become cancerous. They may also become rogue, escaping through lung tissue and invading other parts of the body.
Remarkably though, smoking cessation can undo the damage to cilia rather quickly. In fact, the cilia begin to repair themselves and regenerate in number within only three days after quitting. It should be noted that coughing is a common side effect to this process and may last from a few days to several weeks. This is because the restored cilia are working overtime to remove impurities and mucous from the lungs. However, if cough persists for more than eight weeks, a physician should be consulted.
After 30 years of smoking - I'm sure the damage I caused to my cilia or cilium (plural) has to be extensive. It makes me wonder if I really just toasted them (no pun intended). I was at 1 to 1.5 ppd - makes me really wonder about my mom who quit smoking 20 years ago..but she smoked 3 pks per day. She doesn't really remember if she coughed alot or not.
Thanks for the replies - it's good to know I'm not alone in the no cough thing..it's the "why" I can't really understand!! I guess we shall see what happens as my journey continues!
