Motor Neuron Disease: The Impact of Decreased Speech Intelligibility on Marital Communication

Background: The onset of motor neuron disease (MND); a neurodegenerative disease; results in physical and communication disabilities that impinge on an individual's ability to remain functionally independent. Multiple aspects of the marital relationship are affected by the continuously changing roles and responsibilities. Communication is one of the most constructive ways of dealing with emotions that are elicited by these changes. decreased speech intelligibility; the relationship between the deteriorating speech and the couples' perception of marital communication was not statistically significant.Conclusion: Overall; the results proved that the supposition that communication between couples will invariably deteriorate as a result of progressively reduced speech intelligibility is not necessarily valid. The fundamental importance of effective communication in marriage is highlighted. It is well established that augmentative and alternative communication strategies can preserve the ability to develop and maintain intimate rewarding relationships; even in the face of profound physical disabilities. Method: This study explored the association between the deteriorating speech of persons with MND and couples' perception of marital communication. Fourteen couples participated in this non-experimental correlational research study. Data were collected over a 12-month period through the administration of objective and subjective measures.Results: Results showed that despite

Epidemiological evidence from Zaire for a dietary etiology of konzo, an upper motor neuron disease

A clear association between seasonal outbreaks of a paralytic disease called konzo and toxic effects from consumption of insufficiently processed bitter cassava roots has been demonstrated in Bandundu region, Zaire. A community-based survey of 6764 inhabitants identified 110 live and 24 dead konzo-affected persons with a history of isolated non-progressive spastic paraparesis of abrupt onset. The start of these annual outbreaks of konzo in 1974 coincided with the completion of a new tarmac road to the capital, which facilitated the transport of cassava and made it the main cash crop. The extensive cassava sales encouraged the consumption by the peasant families of roots that had not been adequately processed; frequent acute cyanide intoxications resulted when the naturally occurring cyanogens in the roots were eaten. The disease mainly appeared in the dry season when there was high consumption of insufficiently processed cassava and the diet lacked supplementary foods with sulfur-containing amino acids which promote cyanide detoxification. These results, which confirm the earlier findings in East Africa, show that, owing to the high cyanide and low sulfur dietary intake, there is an increased risk of konzo outbreaks in cassava-growing areas during periods of adverse agro-economic changes