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CD-ROM Today (UK) (Spanish) 15
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0204
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02044.txt
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1994-01-17
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$Unique_ID{BRK02044}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{The Origin of "Ondine's Curse" and the Symptoms of Primary Alveolar
Hypoventilation}
$Subject{Ondine's Curse Ondine primary alveolar hypoventilation sleep apnea
syndrome sleep apnea syndromes CPAP Constant Positive Airway Pressure Norse
mythology breathing lapses sleep disorder sleep disorders}
$Volume{}
$Log{}
Copyright (c) 1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
The Origin of "Ondine's Curse" and the Symptoms of Primary Alveolar
Hypoventilation
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QUESTION: I know you are an ace in tracking down the real identity of some
strange sounding diseases. I now have one that even you may not be able to
find, but that now plays a big role in the life of my husband. It is called
"Ondine's Curse", and yes, our doctor revealed its name to us. But even he
didn't know where the name came from. Can you search for this and then tell
us when you do find out, as I am sure you will.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER: The real identity for Ondine's Curse was easy to find. It is another
name for "primary alveolar hypoventilation", and forms one of the sleep apnea
syndromes. It is much more common in men, about 5 to 1 over women, and begins
to display its effects between the ages of 20 and 50 years. Although the
patient breathes normally during the day, there are long periods without
breathing that occur during sleep. The disease is diagnosed in a sleep
laboratory, where the sleep habits of the patient can be closely observed, and
when the apnea periods are long and frequent, the disease may be life
threatening. Modern treatments include the use of a CPAP (Constant Positive
Airway Pressure) pump which, through a mask, forces air into the lungs and
overcomes the breathing lapses.
Now that part was easy, but why Ondine's Curse? The answer is to be
found in the play "Ondine" written by J. Giraudoux. Ondine is a water sprite,
who falls in love with a knight. The king of the sea demands that if the
knight ever betrays Ondine, he will die, and she will forget him. Her curse
is one that makes him forget to breathe, and so you see the relationship.
Yes, being merely mortal, he leaves Ondine for another woman, and on his
wedding day dies, because he forgets to breathe. The tale is drawn from
Norse mythology if my sources are correct, and it is amazing how many similar
bits are contained in the story of The Little Mermaid, Ariel, the great Disney
movie.
The real joy in searching for some of these wonderful stories behind the
medical fact is to discover the wide intellectual range of some of the great
men and women in medicine who preceded this generation. Their intellectual
interests provide us with a rich heritage, and some marvelous chronicles.
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.