Narcolepsy: Clinical Features, Co-Morbidities & Treatment (Report‪)‬

Narcolepsy is a disabling neurlogical illness that usually begins early in life. It manifests as sleep disturbances and REM sleep phenomena that intrude into the lives of affected individuals. There are two subtypes of the disorder: narcolepsy with cataplexy and narcolepsy without cataplexy. The cause is uncertain, but there is evidence of both genetic and environmental factors. The brain peptide hypocretin appears to be deficient in most cases involving cataplexy. There are several co-morbid conditions linked to narcolepsy, especially other sleep disorders. The symptoms overlap with many medical and psychiatric illnesses, which can result in misdiagnosis. Therefore, careful history along with objective sleep data gathered in polysomnography and multiple sleep latency testing are needed to make an accurate diagnosis. Stimulant medications, modafinil, and sodium oxybate target the excessive daytime sleepiness while antidepressants and sodium oxybate are useful for cataplexy. Therapies that focus on various neurotransmitter systems, immunomodulation, and hypocretin replacement are being evaluated. Epidemiology