Amyothrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, lethal neuromuscular disease that is associated with the degeneration of cortical and spinal motoneurons, leading to atrophy of limb, axial, and respiratory muscles. Patients with ALS invariably develop respiratory muscle weakness and most die from pulmonary complications. Overexpression of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene mutations in mi...

Dust generated during the handling and processing of cotton causes ill health of ginning workers. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among cotton-ginning workers. This study involved 188 workers of 10 cotton-ginning factories. Forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) declined signific...

This is a summary of the presentation on the pathophysiology of respiratory impairment in pediatric neuromuscular disorders presented as part of the program on pulmonary management of pediatric patients with neuromuscular disease at the 30th annual Carrell-Krusen Neuromuscular Symposium on February 20, 2008.

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disorder characterized by abnormal accumulation of a lipoproteinaceous material in the alveoli, which may lead to respiratory failure and has an associated high risk for infections. The mainstay treatment for PAP is whole lung lavage. A pregnant woman, previously diagnosed with primary PAP, the most common form of PAP, was admitted with dyspnea and...

Introduction The amount of pathophysiological impairment in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is variable and applying the same ventilator regimen to every patient is questionable. Monitoring of respiratory mechanics for the lung and chest wall allows an individualization of ventilator settings with a potential benefit for the patient. A registry with a large sample size ...

OBJECTIVE To explore the perception of dyspnoea in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. DESIGN Cross-sectional study using mixed methods. METHODS Thirty-two patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were included. Data collected included 3 health-related quality of life questionnaires (SF-36, St George and Maugeri respiratory questionnaires) and the H...