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Primary alveolar hypoventilation - Symptom

Alternative Names

Ondine's curse

Symptoms:

Often patients themselves do not complain of being short of breath during the day. Symptoms are usually worse during sleep, and periods of apnea (episodes of stopped breathing) are usually present. Patients with this disease are extremely sensitive to even small doses of sedatives or narcotics, which can make their already inadequate breathing much worse.

Symptoms include:

Signs and tests:

The health care provider will perform a physical exam. Tests will be done to rulle out other causes. For example, muscular dystrophy can make the rib muscles weak, and emphysema damages damaging the lung tissue itself. A a small stroke can affect the breathing center in the brain.

Tests that may be done include:

  • Reviewed last on: 9/2/2008
  • Sean O. Stitham, MD, private practice in Internal Medicine, Seattle, Washington; and Benjamin Medoff, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Pulmonary and Critical Care Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Phillipson EA, Duffin J. Hypoventilation and hyperventilation syndromes. In: Mason RJ, Murray J, VC Broaddus, Nadel J, eds. Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2005:chap 73.

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