PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - R. A. Lyall
AU  - N. Donaldson
AU  - T. Fleming
AU  - C. Wood
AU  - I. Newsom–Davis
AU  - M. I. Polkey
AU  - P. N. Leigh
AU  - J. Moxham
TI  - A prospective study of quality of life in ALS patients treated with noninvasive ventilation
AID  - 10.1212/WNL.57.1.153
DP  - 2001 Jul 10
TA  - Neurology
PG  - 153--156
VI  - 57
IP  - 1
4099  - http://n.neurology.org/content/57/1/153.short
4100  - http://n.neurology.org/content/57/1/153.full
SO  - Neurology2001 Jul 10; 57
AB  - Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation prolongs survival in ALS but its effect on quality of life is unknown. The authors prospectively studied quality of life using the SF-36 questionnaire in a cohort of 16 ventilated patients with ALS. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation improved scores in the “Vitality” domain by as much as 25%, for periods of up to 15 months, despite disease progression. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation did not cause reduced quality of life, as any fall in scores in the ventilated group were comparable to those seen in a control group. In conclusion, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation enhances quality of life when used to treat sleep-disordered breathing in patients with ALS.