A patient with Ondine's curse would be expected to have which type of respiratory impairment in sleep?

Individuals with Ondine's curse, or congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, experience a specific type of respiratory impairment characterized by the brain's inability to regulate breathing automatically, particularly during sleep. In this condition, patients may breathe normally while awake, as the voluntary control over breathing is intact. However, during sleep, especially during the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stages, they often fail to initiate respiratory effort. This leads to hypoventilation and decreased oxygen levels, potentially resulting in life-threatening situations if not appropriately monitored or managed.

Central sleep apnea is characterized by a cessation of respiratory effort due to a lack of central nervous system signals. In contrast to obstructive sleep apnea, where physical blockage leads to airway obstruction and efforts to breathe continue, central sleep apnea's underlying issue is neurologic and due to impaired communication between neural centers that control breathing.

While hypoventilation syndrome is a broader category that can encompass various conditions, in the case of Ondine’s curse, the central apnea aspect is particularly relevant given that the primary failure is in the central nervous system's control of the breathing pattern during sleep. Mixed sleep apnea includes both obstructive and central characteristics but is not a precise description of the hypoventilation seen in Ond