My father has had Myotonic Dystrophy for a long time and is now getting a lot of chest infections. Are these connected?
They could well be. The breathing muscles are often weak which can result in a cold or throat infection ‘going to the chest’. This can be helped by starting antibiotics promptly rather than waiting. In some patients material may ‘go the wrong way’ into the lungs during the night. This may mean that the swallowing as well as the chest will need investigation. Repeated chest infections should certainly be investigated fully.
