title: Breathing during sleep in myasthenia gravis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess breathing patterns during sleep in patients with generalized mild myasthenia gravis. Fourteen patients (13 F; 1M, age range 20-40 years) in a stable clinical and functional state underwent a sleep questionnaire, baseline respiratory function tests and standard nocturnal polysomnography. All of the patients had normal daytime blood-gas values, except one who showed mild hypoxemia. No patient complained of disturbed sleep; six patients reported snoring. In five patients nocturnal polysomnography showed the occurrence of short and infrequent central apneas mainly during REM sleep, together with a drop in HbSaO2 levels of more than 5% of the baseline wakefulness value. Our data indicate that, in patients with mild generalized MG in a stable functional state, breathing pattern instability during sleep is infrequent and, when it occurs, is mild and mainly related to REM sleep.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Neurologico C. Mondino, Università di Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piccolo
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sartori
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castelnovo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raiola
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cerveri
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fanfulla
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tartara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017286:Polysomnography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics / Q000502:physiology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000503:physiopathology; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology