An Overview of Ondine’s Curse and its Diagnostic Options in the Medical Field

  • Margret Chandira Rajappa Vinayaka Missions College of Pharmacy, Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (DU), Yercard Adivaram, Saiem, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Palanisamy Pethappa Chetty Vinayaka Missions College of Pharmacy, Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (DU), Yercard Adivaram, Saiem, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Devi Sowndarya Nagendra Boopathi Vinayaka Missions College of Pharmacy, Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (DU), Yercard Adivaram, Saiem, Tamil Nadu, India.
  • Lokeshwaran Sekar Vinayaka Missions College of Pharmacy, Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (DU), Yercard Adivaram, Saiem, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Praveen Kumar Arumugam Vinayaka Missions College of Pharmacy, Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (DU), Yercard Adivaram, Saiem, Tamil Nadu, India
Keywords: Sleep Apnea Disorders, Hypoventilation, Central Sleep Apnea

Abstract

One of the most captivating mythical tales in the realm of medicine is Ondine’s curse. Ondine was an eternal water spirit who became human after falling in love, marrying, and having a child with a man. When she saw her husband sleeping with another woman, she cursed him to stay awake to control his breathing, according to one version of the story. The unusual illness marked by loss of autonomic breath control while voluntary breathing remains intact was cleverly called “Ondine’s curse†during the nineteenth century. Nowadays, Ondine’s curse is most commonly connected with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome; nevertheless, it is also used to describe a variety of respiratory illnesses in the medical literature.

How to cite this article:
Kelvin M. An Overview of Ondine’s Curse and its Diagnostic Options in the Medical Field. J Commun Dis. 2022;54(2):89-94.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0019.5138.202276

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Published
2022-06-30