Multidisciplinary therapy, respiratory and nutritional support for patients with motor neuron disease

Abstract

Motor neuron disease (MND) is a fatal progressive neurological condition. Riluzole is the only pharmacological agent that is currently prescribed for all MND types. It is suggested that a 100 mg daily dose is safe and probably prolongs median survival by about 2-3 months in patients with MND. Multidisciplinary team treatment can help relieve symptoms, improve quality of life (QoL) and increase survival rates in patients suffering from this condition. As respiratory, nutritional and swallowing problems are amongst the most important factors associated with decreased QoL and shorter survival, a large and growing body of literature has been investigating respiratory and nutritional support in MND care