How can the ALS app support the treatment of sialorrhea?

The symptom relief of sialorrhea (excess salivation) can be recorded using the self-explanatory ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R-SE). Self-assessment of the ALSFRS-R is possible via the ALS app. Question 2 (of a total of 12 questions) concerns salivation.

All patients on medication for excess salivation (e.g. ipratropium bromide, pirenzepine, amitriptyline, atropine) are invited to complete the ALSFRS-R-SE self-assessment before taking the medication for the first time. The resulting score on the scale is taken as the baseline prior to treatment. It is even preferable to carry out multiple assessments over several days before the start of therapy in order to record fluctuations and take them into account in the subsequent evaluation. After the start of therapy, a daily assessment should be carried out for 14 days . Subsequently, a weekly assessment is recommended for the following 6 weeks. Thereafter, a bi-weekly assessment of the ALSFRS-R-SE is sufficient. An increase in the score on the ALS functional scale can be interpreted as a response to the therapy.

These data are of great interest for “self-monitoring”, but also for the treating physicians and for ALS research on sialorrhea drugs.