Narcolepsy Kelly Lewis Jimmy Wells Stacey Leonard

Narcolepsy u Frequent disorder –the second leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness after obstructive sleep apnea u Epidemiology of narcolepsy – an incidence of 0.2 to 1.6 per thousand in European countries, Japan and the United States. – a frequency at least as large as that of Multiple Sclerosis.

Narcolepsy Sociological Impact u Disabling –work –leisure –interpersonal skills –accident prone u Under-diagnosed –majority of patients in country are still undiagnosed –the mean number of years between the onset of symptoms and correct diagnosis was 14 years

Narcolepsy Symptoms u EDS - Excessive Daytime Sleepiness u Abnormal REM Sleep u Cataplexy u Sleep Paralysis u Hypnagogic Hallucinations

Narcolepsy Diagnosis u Diagnosis through specific medical procedures easy if symptoms are present u Nocturnal Polysomnogram u Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) –will confirm the daytime sleepiness by showing a short sleep latency of usually less than 5 minutes, as well as an abnormally short latency prior to the first REM period (SOREMPs).

Narcolepsy Genetics u Due to modern technology, accurate diagnosis can occur, but the cause of Narcolepsy is still unknown u We do know it has a strong genetic base and it involves the immune defense system u The gene is close to being discovered and the cure will soon follow u Narcolepsy gene studies have involved narcoleptic Doberman pinschers

Narcolepsy Genetics u The results of a family study were consistent with a dominant mode of inheritance with incomplete penetrance of a hypothetical disease susceptibility gene  Most cases of narcolepsy have no other family members affected with narcolepsy and the risk is very small. If you have narcolepsy-cataplexy, the risk for your child to develop narcolepsy-cataplexy is only 1-2%. The risk of developing daytime sleepiness without cataplexy may be slightly higher (4%).

Narcolepsy Pedigree

Narcolepsy References Cure Narcolepsy Now Stanford Center for Narcolepsy www-med.stanford.edu/school/Psychiatry/narcolepsy/