Acta neurologica Scandinavica
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Acta Neurol. Scand. · Feb 2019
Non-invasive ventilation and hypercapnia-associated symptoms in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
During the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), progressive weakness of respiratory muscles leads to chronic hypercapnia which causes various symptoms like sleep disturbances, daytime fatigue, and depression. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) improves survival and quality of life, but little is known about its effect on these specific symptoms, in particular during the later course of disease. Our aim was to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of NIV on hypercapnia-associated symptoms in ALS. ⋯ Our data show that NIV improves hypercapnia-associated symptoms within the first 3 months after initiation in spinal as well as bulbar patients, and that beneficial effects are long-lasting.