Name: Narcolepsy Test Panel
SKU: 73
Price: 135.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Description

Also known as gelineau syndrome, narcolepsy is a persistent neurological disease that includes a diminished capacity to control sleep wake cycles.

Very rare (Fewer than 20,000 cases per year in US)

Treatments can help manage condition, no known cure

Often requires lab test or imaging

Common for ages 18-35

Family history may increase likelihood

Urgent medical attention recommended

Narcolepsy is a chronic, debilitating sleep disorder which is characterized by cataplexy (i.e. sudden transient muscular weakness), sleep paralysis, disturbed night sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness. Narcolepsy is caused by deficiencies in the hypothalamic neurotransmitter, hypocretin (also known as orexin), most likely through autoimmune-mediated cell death of the neurons producing this neurotransmitter. Hypocretin is a neuropeptide hormone that is responsible for controlling appetite and sleep patterns.

Symptoms

Excessive daytime sleepiness – People with the sickness sleep off without any sign at anyplace and whenever
Diminished alertness for the duration of the day
Hard to focus and completely work
Sudden loss of muscle tone called as cataplexy
Sleep paralysis – Experience an inability to move or talk while falling asleep or after waking
Hallucinations -Semi-alert, start envisioning and experience the fantasies as reality

Causes

The exact cause for sickness is still unknown
There might be many causes. Most people suffering with this condition have low levels of hypocretin (also known as orexin)
Hypocretin levels are especially low in the individuals who encounter cataplexy
At times, hereditary qualities may assume a part of cause for narcolepsy

Prevention

Certain measures can be taken to evade undesirable and humiliating circumstances of narcoleptic or cataplexic episodes, or to reduce the chance of onset:

Reduce the stress level
Take short naps around the day
Daily exercises
Strict sleep time schedules
Counseling to deal with embarrassment trauma

Complications

Stigma or misconceptions about the condition
Hindrance with intimate relationships
Physical harm or vulnerability during episodes
Gaining weight

Nutrition

Consume a healthy balanced diet with fresh fruit and vegetables. Intake of moderate quantities of poly-unsaturated fatty acids may be helpful (soy oil, castor bean oil or sunflower oil).

Foods to avoid:

Cut out starches and sugars
Maintain a strategic distance from nicotine and liquor as they can compound side effects

Clinical Utility

Patients are typically booked for a sleep study to establish breathing, heart rate, brain activity, and other bodily functions during the night to determine abnormal patterns of sleep. Laboratory tests to diagnose narcolepsy are dependent on analysis of orexin levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which requires a highly invasive and painful lumbar puncture.

Genetics can play an important role in certain patients with narcolepsy. One important predisposing genetic factor is the HLA-DQB1*06:02 allele in the DRB1*15:01-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:02 haplotype. Between 85 to 95 percent of narcoleptics with the symptom of sudden muscle weakness have this combination of alleles. HLA-DQB1*06:02 genotyping, can be particularly useful in helping to diagnose patients with the symptom of sudden muscle weakness with narcolepsy.

Scientific References

Hinze-Selch D et al. In vivo and in vitro immune variables in patients with narcolepsy and HLA-DR2 matched controls. Neurology. 1998; 50:1149.
Hor H et al. Genome-wide association study identifies new HLA class II haplotypes strongly protective against narcolepsy. Nat Genet. 2010; 42:786.
Mignot E et al. HLA DQB1*0602 is associated with cataplexy in 509 narcoleptic patients. Sleep. 1997; 20:1012.
Mignot E et al. Complex HLA-DR and -DQ interactions confer risk of narcolepsy-cataplexy in three ethnic groups. Am J Hum Genet. 2001; 68:686.
Miyagawa T et al. Identification of a telomeric boundary of the HLA region with potential for predisposition to human narcolepsy. Immunogenetics. 2000; 52:12.