Cardiopulmonary arrest | 7 (33.3) | |
Urinary tract infection | 5 (23.8) | |
Aspiration pneumonia | 2 (9.5) | |
Infectious pneumonia | 2 (9.5) | |
Acute aspiration | 1 (4.8) | |
Wasting syndrome | 3 (14.3) |
"Occurrence of sudden death is a common cause of mortality in MSA and may happen in the early stages while disability remains acceptable." http://tan.sagepub.com/content/3/4/249.full.pdf+html
Citation to: Shimohata, T., Ozawa, T., Nakayama, H., Tomita, M., Shinoda, H. and Nishizawa, M. (2008) Frequency of nocturnal sudden death in patients with multiple system atrophy. J Neurol 255: 1483-1485.
Abstract:
Sudden death has been reported
in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), although the frequency
of this event has not
been well delineated. We investigated the frequency and
potential causes of sudden death in patients with MSA. During the
5-year observation period, 10 of 45 patients with probable MSA
died. The causes of death included sudden death of unknown
etiology (seven patients), aspiration pneumonia (one patient),
asphyxia after vomiting (one patient), and lung cancer (one
patient). The mean survival time of patients with sudden death
was 63.0 ± 24.7 months (range, 39–116 months). Among seven
patients who experienced sudden death, six were found to have
died during sleep. Among these patients, two had been treated
with tracheostomy and three with continuous positive airway
pressure (CPAP) or noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV)
during sleep, suggesting that these treatments do not always
prevent sudden death in patients with MSA. Nocturnal sudden death
should be recognized as the most common mechanism of death in
patients with MSA.
The close relationship between life-threatening breathing disorders and urine storage dysfunction in multiple system atrophy. K Deguchi, K Ikeda, R Goto, M Tsukaguchi, Y Urai… - Journal of Neurology, 2010 - SpringerAbstract: