UMass Chan Affiliations
Center for Outcomes ResearchDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2006-06-07Keywords
AdultAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Databases, Factual
Dyspnea
Female
Humans
Income
Male
Middle Aged
Motor Neurons
Positive-Pressure Respiration
Sex Factors
Socioeconomic Factors
Vital Capacity
Health Services Research
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In spite of emerging evidence of therapeutic benefit from non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV), only a minority of ALS patients use this therapy. We examined factors which correlate with use of NPPV in ALS patients. Data were analyzed from the ALS CARE Database on the use of NPPV in patients with FVC less than 50% of predicted and probable or definite ALS based on modified El Escorial criteria. Of the 403 eligible patients, 146 (36%) used NPPV. NPPV compliance was strongly correlated with symptoms of dyspnea and orthopnea as well as with the use of other therapies including PEG tubes, augmentative speech devices, and riluzole. Male gender and household income >$80,000 were also associated with higher NPPV use. There was no correlation between age, race, type of insurance, forced vital capacity, duration of symptoms, ALSFRS-R, caregiver burden or quality of life with the use of NPPV. These data suggest that the factors which are most closely associated with NPPV utilization are symptomatic orthopnea and dyspnea. The findings may be useful in designing prospective studies to examine the factors which might explain the underutilization of NPPV and the optimal use of this treatment.Source
Amyotroph Lateral Scler. 2006 Jun;7(2):80-5. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1080/14660820500504587Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/27097PubMed ID
16753971Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1080/14660820500504587