Sleep apnea and nocturnal hypoventilation after western equine encephalitis.
That viral encephalitis can produce daytime hypoventilation is well appreciated, but an association of this infection with the development of a prolonged disturbance of breathing during sleep once the ventilatory disorder during wakefulness has resolved, has not been reported. We describe a young male who required assisted mechanical ventilation in association with western equine encephalitis. Normal waking ventilation returned over 3 to 4 wk, but frequent apneas and severe hypoventilation persisted during sleep with a near absence of waking ventilatory response to chemical stimuli. Over 3 months there was considerable improvement in breathing during sleep associated with an increase in both hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responsiveness.
D000293:Adolescent; D004667:Encephalitis Virus, Western Equine; D004683:Encephalomyelitis, Equine / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012119:Respiration; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy