While narcolepsy symptoms are often confused with depression, there is a link between the two disorders. Research studies have mixed results on co-occurrence of depression in people with narcolepsy, as the numbers quoted by different studies are anywhere between 6% and 50%.Narcolepsy can occur in both men and women at any age, although typical symptom onset occurs in adolescence and young adulthood. There is about a ten-year delay in diagnosing narcolepsy in adults. Cognitive, educational, occupational, and psychosocial problems associated with the excessive daytime sleepiness of narcolepsy have been documented. For these to occur in the crucial teen years when education, development of self-image, and development of occupational choice are taking place is especially devastating. While cognitive impairment does occur, it may only be a reflection of the excessive daytime somnolence. Society and culture
In 2015, it was reported that the British Department of Health was paying for sodium oxybate medication at a cost of £12,000 a year for 80 people who are taking legal action over problems linked to the use of the Pandemrix swine flu vaccine. Sodium oxybate is not available to people with narcolepsy through the National Health Service. Name
The term "narcolepsy" is from the French narcolepsie. The French term was first used in 1880 by Jean-Baptiste-Édouard Gélineau, who used the Greek νάρκη (narkē), meaning "numbness", and λῆψις (lepsis) meaning "attack". Research
Histamine-directed medications
It remains to be seen whether H3 antagonists (i.e., compounds such as pitolisant that promote the release of the wakefulness-promoting molecule amine histamine) will be particularly useful as wake-promoting agents.
These tests are usually performed by a sleep specialist.Polysomnography involves the continuous recording of sleep brain waves and a number of nerve and muscle functions during night time sleep. When tested, people with narcolepsy fall asleep rapidly, enter REM sleep early, and may often awaken during the night. The polysomnogram also helps to detect other possible sleep disorders that could cause daytime sleepiness.The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is a brief questionnaire that is administered to determine the likelihood of the presence of a sleep disorder, including narcolepsy.The multiple sleep latency test is performed after the person undergoes an overnight sleep study. The person will be asked to sleep once every 2 hours, and the time it takes for them to do so is recorded. Most individuals will fall asleep within 5 to 8 minutes, as well as display REM sleep faster than non-narcoleptic people.Measuring orexin levels in a persons cerebrospinal fluid sampled in a spinal tap may help in diagnosing narcolepsy, with abnormally low levels serving as an indicator of the disorder. This test can be useful when MSLT results are inconclusive or difficult to interpret. Treatment
Orexin replacement
People with narcolepsy can be substantially helped, but not cured.