Breathing in patients with muscular and neuromuscular diseases

This article deals with the breathing function in patients with muscular and neuromuscular diseases. Described are the consequences of weakened respiratory muscles, such as abnormal values of pulmonary function tests, changed respiratory frequency, noneffective cough, breathing with accessory respiratory muscles, paradoxical breathing, impaired function of the diaphragm, glossopharyngeal breathing, alveolar hypoventilation during sleep and chronic alveolar hypoventilation with dispnoea and cyanosis.