Diaphragmatic paralysis

What it means

The presence of a paralyzed diaphragm.

Loss of the ability to move the diaphragm for respiratory motions. Patients with complete diaphragm paralysis complain of gross orthopnoea, disturbed sleep and early morning headaches. They have shortness of breath on minimal exertion and, because they sleep poorly, they experience daytime fatigue.

Rare diseases that can present with this12

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Paralysed diaphragm