Narcolepsy Along with an Update
Kutluhan Yilmaz
Türk Uyku Tıbbı Dergisi August 1, 2018 DOI: 10.4274/jtsm.02.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Narcolepsy Classification |
| Key findings | Presents an update on narcolepsy, attributing it to loss of hypocretin neurons and noting cataplexy in 60-90% of cases. The authors argue that diagnosis is often difficult because clinical features overlap with other conditions, and they describe the recent shift in classification to type 1 and type 2 rather than with or without cataplexy. |
Abstract
Narcolepsy is the most common primary hypersomnia, which is caused by loss of hypocretin neurons. Hypocretin in the neurohypothalamus is of crucial role in the maintenance of awakeness. Narcolepsy is characterized by hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations, sleep paralysis and disrupted night sleep in addition to hypersomnia. Cataplexy is the pathognomonic feature of narcolepsy observed in 60-90% of all cases. As the clinical characteristics of narcolepsy may be confused with various other sypmtoms or signs, diagnostic difficulty is common in narcoleptic patients. Besides this, classification of narcolepsy has recently been changed and recommended as type 1 and type 2 rather than narcolepsy with or without cataplexy. Here, an update on narcolepsy is presented along with a comprehensive summary that can help to overcome the challenges in the diagnosis of narcolepsy.