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

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.