Among its typical symptoms are:

• shallow breathing
• rapid fatigue
• daytime sleepiness
• headaches on waking
• restless sleep

To improve the effectiveness of ventilation and the cough reflex , appropriate physiotherapy including breathing exercises and learning to cough effectively should be used. Also, the family should be instructed on how to perform positioning drainage, patting and cough support.

Respiratory tract infections

As a result of a decrease in respiratory capacity and a weakened cough reflex, the airways cannot be properly cleared of lingering secretions. The only correctly working respiratory muscle is the diaphragm, which, however, quickly becomes exhausted, particularly in younger children.

Even a trivial infection of the upper resp iratory tract can lead to pneumonia due to the retention and discharge of secretions, so it is advisable to quickly and intensively treat any infection, even a minor one, and to remove any lingering secretions from the airways.

photo: ojoimages

If the discharge is thin and only in the nose or throat, it is enough to blow, decongest or suction as often as necessary. In the case of thick, lingering secretions, the child needs to be treated with appropriate medication, hydrated, and patted or suctioned.

Swallowing problems

In neuromuscular diseases, oesophageal and oropharyngeal dysphagia are the most common , caused mainly by abnormal neuromuscular coordination at the level of the pharynx and oesophageal sphincter.

These patients complain of difficulty swallowing regardless of the consistency of the food. They have difficulty moving bites in their mouths and experience weakness and increasing fatigue of the jaw muscles.

They complain of reduced bite force and restricted mandibular mobility. As a result, meals take longer and longer to eat and they become impatient and irritable. Patients often perceive this condition as a deterioration in their quality of life.