Open AccessRecognizing the Symptom Spectrum of Narcolepsy to Improve Timely Diagnosis: A Narrative Review
Author(s) -
Laury Quaedackers,
Sigrid Pillen,
Sebastiaan Overeem
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nature and science of sleep
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.715
H-Index - 34
ISSN - 1179-1608
DOI - 10.2147/nss.s278046
Subject(s) - narcolepsy , sleep paralysis , cataplexy , medicine , polysomnography , pediatrics , sleep disorder , presentation (obstetrics) , psychiatry , insomnia , neurology , apnea , surgery
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder with a strong negative impact on quality of life, especially when untreated. Diagnostic delay is a persistent problem, with obvious detrimental effects on patients. A diagnosis of narcolepsy may be delayed because of its broad symptom presentation which is much more encompassing than the classical "tetrad" of sleepiness, cataplexy, hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. Furthermore, symptoms can vary over time. Presentation of symptoms can also be markedly different between children and adults. Finally, common sleep-related comorbidities increase the risk of narcolepsy being masked by overlapping symptoms or treatment. In this review, we provide a detailed description of the broad and dynamic symptom spectrum of narcolepsy, with specific attention to the different manifestations in both adults and children. The overarching goal is to help not only sleep specialists, but general practitioners, pediatricians, and other caregivers with early recognition and prompt diagnosis of this severe but treatable disorder.