Upper airway microbial colonization in patients with neuromuscular disorders

Background and objective Inherited neuromuscular disorders (NMD) inevitably result in severe lung volume restriction and cough insufficiency associated with high morbidity and mortality. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate whether the airways of patients with NMD are colonized with potential pathogenic microorganisms that might contribute to the pulmonary morbidity in NMD. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, cough swabs were obtained and cultured for microbiological analyses from 77 patients with NMD and different degrees of lung volume restriction and cough insufficiency. Upper airway microbial colonization was compared to lung function parameters and cough peak flow values. Results Upper airway microbial colonization with potential pathogenic pathogens was identified in 39/77 (51%) of the subjects. Upper airway microbial colonization was associated with lower forced vital capacity (% pred.) 26.6 ± 19.7 versus 41.8 ± 20.4, P