PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - B L Lovell
AU  - R E Bullock
AU  - K N Anderson
TI  - An unusual presentation of congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (Ondine's Curse)
AID  - 10.1136/emj.2009.072215
DP  - 2010 Mar 01
TA  - Emergency Medicine Journal
PG  - 237--238
VI  - 27
IP  - 3
4099  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/27/3/237.short
4100  - http://emj.bmj.com/content/27/3/237.full
SO  - Emerg Med J2010 Mar 01; 27
AB  - Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome is a rare illness, which classically presents in the neonatal period; newborns present with shallow breathing and cyanosis, without a physiological rise in breathing rate. Incidence has been estimated from 1 in 10 000 to 1 in 200 000 live births. This case report describes the case of a young man who was asymptomatic until his presentation in acute respiratory failure at the age of 36 years. This case is reported to highlight the importance of considering this treatable illness as a potential cause of collapse and respiratory failure in adults presenting to emergency departments.