Wednesday September 16, 2009
Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have low respiratory function, even though they might not have noticed it or associated it with MS. Coughing, frequent sighing and shortness of breath can all be part of MS. As a matter of fact, even in people with very little disability (EDSS scores of 1.0 to 5.0), mouth pressure measures were found to be between 60 and 70% of normal. Mouth pressure is a measure to assess the functioning and strength of respiratory muscles by testing maximum inspiratory (breathing in) pressures and maximum expiratory (exhaling) pressures.
The writer of this article is very curious as to how H1N1 (swine flu) fits into this picture of impaired lung function, and have found this recommendation from the Rocky Mountain MS Center: "because the flu can cause serious complications for MS patients, especially for those with limited mobility issues and those living in settings such as nursing homes – the H1N1 vaccine is advisable for all people with MS." Besides this,she finds no information on specifics about respiratory dysfunction in MS linked to H1N1 complications. She just doesn't know, it just seems to follow that if many of the worst complications from H1N1 come from pneumonia, and people with asthma and COPD are at higher risk, that we might want to be extra cautious about this virus.She also has seen studies that H1N1 seems to cause infections much deeper in the lungs than the seasonal flu, which tends to stay in the nasal passages.
Speak to your neurologist about H1N1 and what he thinks is right in your particular situation. If he recommends a vaccine, make sure it is a killed or inactivated vaccine and not the live (attenuated) version.
Read the full article: Respiratory Problems in People with Multiple Sclerosis
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