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Narcolepsy - Overview

Alternative Names

Daytime sleep disorder

Definition of Narcolepsy:

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes excessive sleepiness and frequent daytime sleep attacks.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder, not a mental illness. The exact cause is unknown. Genes may play a role, but it is not the only factor. Anxiety, however, does not cause narcolepsy.

The disorder may be made worse by conditions that cause insomnia such as disruption of work schedules.

Sleep patterns in the young and aged

Reviewed last on: 9/9/2008
Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Department of Neurosurgery and Gene Therapeutics Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Dauvilliers Y, Arnulf I, Mignot E. Narcolepsy with cataplexy. Lancet. 2007 Feb 10;369(9560):499-511.

Morgenthaler TI, Kapur VK, Brown T, Swick TJ, Alessi C, Aurora RN, et al. Practice parameters for the treatment of narcolepsy and other hypersomnias of central origin. Sleep. 2007 Dec 1;30(12):1705-11.

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