Sleep disordered breathing in motor neurone disease

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by axonal loss and gliosis of upper and lower motor neurones in the motor cortex, lower brainstem nuclei and ventral horn of the spinal cord. MND is currently incurable and has a poor prognosis, with death typically occurring 3 to 5 years after disease onset (1,2). It is a relatively uncommon disease estimated to affect 4.7 per 100,000 people (3) although is one of the most common adult neurodegenerative diseases (4). MND is characterised by rapidly progressive weakness leading to paralysis, fasciculations, bulbar symptoms (including dysarthria and dysphagia) and respiratory compromise