Breathing and MS

[Lulu54]

We have had a few questions recently about breathing and the connection with respiratory problems and MS, as well as that ongoing question of "will we die from MS?"

A very wonderful heart sister found this and passed it on - I thought it was worth while sharing.

The entire paper can be accessed through the link by selecting the view PDF option.

I hope you will find this of interest and make you want to get out there and work on exercising those lungs!
Lulu



http://www.ersj.org.uk/cgi/content/abstract/13/2/449



"Respiratory muscle involvement in multiple sclerosis

R Gosselink, L Kovacs, and M Decramer

Respiratory complications are common in the terminal stages of multiple sclerosis and contribute to mortality in these patients. When respiratory motor pathways are involved, respiratory muscle weakness frequently occurs. Although it is well established that weakness of the respiratory muscles produces a restrictive ventilatory defect, the degree of muscle weakness and pulmonary function are poorly related. Respiratory muscle weakness was observed in patients with normal or near normal pulmonary function. Expiratory muscle weakness is more prominent than inspiratory muscle weakness and may impair performance of coughing. Subsequently, in addition to bulbar dysfunction, respiratory muscle weakness may contribute to ineffective coughing, pneumonia, and sometimes even acute ventilatory failure may ensue. Respiratory muscle weakness may also occur early in the course of the disease. Recent studies suggest that the respiratory muscles can be trained for both strength and endurance in multiple sclerosis patients. Whether respiratory muscle training delays the development of respiratory dysfunction and subsequently improves exercise capacity and cough efficacy, prevents pulmonary complications or prolongs survival in the long-term remains to be determined."

[Karen99]

This one is a good reference too:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/symptoms/respiration/index.aspx

Weakness of the ventilatory muscles can begin early in the disease

In MS, the most common cause of respiratory problems is loss of muscle strength and endurance. Just as a person can experience muscle weakness in the arms or legs, weakness can occur in the ventilatory muscles of the chest and abdomen that are involved in breathing. And like weakness in the other parts of the body, weakness of the ventilatory muscles can begin to occur early in the disease course and gradually worsen over time.

The full brochure can be downloaded.

[Lulu54]

WAF,
If you can access journals on line, you might also want to look at the referneced articles listed at the bottom of this article.  I see no reason why the breathing problems wouldn't be tied in as an exacerbation.

It is also possible if you are already have airway problems, if you are prone to sleep apnea on top of it you could find yourself struggling to breathe.  

I'm glad the article was of use.
Lu

[MsWobbles]

Thank you for posting this!!   I have had episodic scary breathing incidents at night - waking up feeling I can't get enough air.  My lungs checked out as normal.  I have read that pulmonary function tests don't seem to show how bad the respiratory issues really area - that pulse oximetry is a better indicator.  It seems like what I was going through a week or two ago was an exacerbation of about 4-5 nights of really scary breathing.  As stated in the post, my exhalation ability was really poor.  Now I'm back to normal and sleeping pretty well.  

Are you aware of MS exacerbations involving breathing that come and go like I have described?

WAF