ALS Progression Slows with Use of Noninvasive Ventilation

Respiratory support is an essential component of care for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with known survival and quality-of-life benefits. To investigate the effects of noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) on ALS motor progression and function, researchers used registry data from an Italian cohort of 448 patients with ALS who initiated NIMV when they met European guidelines (including a vital capacity <80% to <50% of predicted value) and had available follow-up data. The median time from diagnosis to NIMV initiation was 9 months (range, 2–19 months); 28% had bulbar-onset disease. Disease progression was measured by the rate in decline of nonrespiratory items on the Revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Ra…