Brief Answer:
My reply is below.
Detailed Answer:
Hi Mr XXXXXXX
Thank you for posting your query.
It is unfortunate that you have breathing difficulties interfering with sleep for two years, moreover, no definite diagnosis or treatment plan has been made.
First of all, I would like to reassure you that these symptoms do not suggest any problems with the sleep centre. The sleep is regulated by
hypothalamus & related brain structures and you have no other symptoms to suggest any
hypothalamic dysfunction. However, if no other cause is found, a brain
MRI scan may be done to definitely exclude
hypothalamic disease.
Your symptoms are more like
orthopnea (breathing difficulty occurring in supine/flat position). In addition to heart and lung disease (both of them have been excluded by experts in those fields), a weakness of diaphragm (muscles that help in breathing)could cause orthopnea.
Diaphragmatic weakness can be assessed by
fluoroscopy. You can discuss this with your physician.
In addition, you would also need evaluation to exclude any disease causing neuromuscular weakness (by neurological examination,
nerve conduction studies, EMG, etc)
I hope my answer helps. Please get back if you have any follow up queries or if you require any additional information.
Wishing you good health,
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology) XXXXXXX Consultant Neurologist
Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, India
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