Sleep Apnoea and Hypoventilation in Patients with Five Major Types of Muscular Dystrophy

Background: The characteristics of and relationship between sleep apnoea and hypoventilation in patients with muscular dystrophy (MD) remain to be fully understood.

Methods: We analysed 104 in-laboratory sleep studies of 73 patients with MD with five common types (DMD-Duchenne, Becker MD, CMD-congenital, LGMD-limb-girdle and DM-myotonic dystrophy). We used generalised estimating equations to examine differences among these types for outcomes.

Results: Patients in all five types had high risk of sleep apnoea with 53 of the 73 patients (73%) meeting the diagnostic criteria in at least one study. Patients with DM had higher risk of sleep apnoea compared with patients with LGMD (OR=5.15, 95% CI 1.47 to 18.0; p=0.003). Forty-three per cent of patients had hypoventilation with observed prevalence higher in CMD (67%), DMD (48%) and DM (44%). Hypoventilation and sleep apnoea were associated in those patients (unadjusted OR=2.75, 95% CI 1.15 to 6.60; p=0.03), but the association weakened after adjustment (OR=2.32, 95% CI 0.92 to 5.81; p=0.08). In-sleep average heart rate was about 10 beats/min higher in patients with CMD and DMD compared with patients with DM (p=0.0006 and p=0.02, respectively, adjusted for multiple testing).

Conclusion: Sleep-disordered breathing is common in patients with MD but each type has its unique features. Hypoventilation was only weakly associated with sleep apnoea; thus, high clinical suspicion is needed for diagnosing hypoventilation. Identifying the window when respiratory muscle weakness begins to cause hypoventilation is important for patients with MD; it enables early intervention with non-invasive ventilation-a therapy that should both lengthen the expected life of these patients and improve its quality.Cite Now.