Neuroscience and Psychiatry: Open Access

Respiratory Muscle Weakness

Respiratory muscle dysfunction is a common thing to patients who have neuromuscular disease.  It may be acute, chronic and persistent like multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis or relentlessly progressive like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Regardless of its clinical course, respiratory muscle weakness is a serious problem of the patients with neuromuscular disease. It is projected that 15 to 28 percent of the patients with myasthenia gravis and 20 to 30 percent of the patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome will need intrusive mechanical ventilation. Many patients with ALS will die from progressive chronic respiratory insufficiency. The clinical manifestations and assessment of respiratory muscle weakness due to neuromuscular disease will be examined.  Respiratory muscle (inspiratory, expiratory, upper airway) weakness due to neurological disease can cause insufficient ventilation, night time hypoventilation, or ineffective cough. It can also be are bulbar dysfunction. Each of these anomalies has its own related symptoms and signs. Insufficient ventilation can lead to dyspnea, orthopnea, rapid shallow breathing.        

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