Drooling, also known as sialorrhea, is excess flow of saliva.
In ALS, drooling is caused by the the following:
- spasticity and atrophy in the muscles of the face and mouth
- the inability to retain saliva in the mouth due to the mouth remaining open
- the inability to evacuate saliva from the mouth as part of swallowing
In ALS, drooling is not a consequence of excess production of saliva; it is only a consequence of the changes in retention and evacuation characteristics. Nonetheless, treatments for drooling experienced by ALS patients are focused on reducing production of saliva to provide symptomatic relief.
Treatments for drooling experienced by ALS patients include1:
- Changes to posture
- Anticholinergic medications
- Botulinum toxin
- Surgeries performed upon the nerves or glands responsible for saliva production
- Giancarlo Garuti, Fabrizio Rao, Viviana Ribuffo, and Valeria A Sansone, "Sialorrhea in patients with ALS: current treatment options - PMC", National Center for Biotechnology, Retrieved 2024-10-01