FERNANDO MORGADINHO SANTOS COELHO
Neurologista especialista em Medicina do Sono, mestre pela Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM) da Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp) e médico do Setor de Urgências do Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein
ROSILENE MOTTA ELIAS
Nefrologista, doutora pelo Hospital da Clínicas (HC) da Universidade de São Paulo e médica-assistente do Serviço de Hemodiálise do HC
MÁRCIA PRADELLA-HALLINAN
Neurologista, especialista em Medicina do Sono, doutora pela EPM-Unifesp e médica-assistente do Instituto do Sono.
LIA RITA AZEREDO BITTENCOURT
Pneumologista, especialista em Medicina do Sono, doutora pela EPM-Unifesp e docente da Disciplina de Medicina e Biologia do Sono do Departamento de Psicobiologia da EPM-Unifesp
SÉRGIO TUFIK
Especialista em Medicina do Sono, doutor pela EPM-Unifesp, chefe e docente da Disciplina de Medicina e Biologia do Sono do Departamento de Psicobiologia da EPM-Unifesp
Abstract:
Background: Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological syndrome with prevalence between 0.018% and 0.040% without important ethnic differences. Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. The pathophysiology of the illness is not known; even so it possesses genetic marker (allele HLA DQB1 *0602) and with abnormalities in the neurotransmission of hypocretin has been described in patients with narcolepsy. Objectives: Resume news discoveries in narcolepsy and show diagnoses and treatment options. Methods: Bibliographic review. Results and discussion: The diagnoses of narcolepsy must be done with The International Classification of Sleep Disorders criteria. The hypocretin dosage is the best exam to confirm diagnose in narcoleptic patients with typical cataplexy. The treatment is carried through with behavior actions and symptomatic drugs that promote the vigil and control the cataplexy. Differential diagnoses as schizophrenia, epilepsy, depression and others sleep disorders need to be eliminated.
Keywords:Narcolepsy, genetics, immunology, diagnosis and treatment