Is there a cure for narcolepsy? I know this is the word you use for sleep attacks and that it is in the genes but are there any other narcolepsy facts that you can share to your readers? Thanks!

Do you know what narcolepsy is? Do you know anyone with narcolepsy? Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, so excessive that they tend to fall asleep even in the middle of a meal, or a meeting, or a conversation. Here are some narcolepsy facts that you should know about.

Narcolepsy is not a rare disease as thought initially. The United States alone has an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 cases of narcolepsy and there are only about 50,000 of those cases properly diagnosed. It is almost as common in occurrence as Parkinson’s disease, but not as well known. The general public should be made aware of the narcolepsy facts and let them realize that this is not to be ashamed of. Because some of the reasons why most narcoleptics refuse to have themselves diagnosed are denial and their tendency to withdraw because of shame and fear of what they may find out.

Another reason why very few cases are reported is because of failure to recognize the symptoms of narcolepsy. This is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed illnesses. The symptoms of narcolepsy may vary from person to person but the most commonly observed symptom is excessive daytime drowsiness (EDS). This is the first manifestation to be observed in narcoleptics. Other narcolepsy symptoms are cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and automatic behavior. These five symptoms are often referred to as the “narcolepsy pentad”. They may not occur altogether on one narcolepsy patient.

Onset of narcolepsy symptoms often occurs around puberty but it could also occur in adulthood. The first symptom to become noticeable is EDS. The other major symptoms may follow months, or even years, later. This also makes narcolepsy harder to diagnose. And the fact that it occurs in the teenage years where development and learning is crucial, it becomes more devastating, not just for the patient but for the whole family. Not to mention mistaking it for epilepsy or a learning disorder or a mental disorder or brushing it off as plain laziness.

Some narcolepsy facts that some of you out there are probably dying to know are the causes of narcolepsy and whether it is curable or not. At first it was considered to be hereditary, well, it is, but only about 10% to 15% of people with narcolepsy reported having relatives with the same disorder. Another cause could be the decrease of a substance called hypocretin and hypocretin cells in the brain leading to excessive drowsiness. Another theory would be autoimmunity wherein our own immune system is attacking our own cells and destroying these hypocretin cells. There is no cure for narcolepsy as of the moment but the symptoms are certainly manageable.

This is an underdiagnosed disorder but only because there are too few resources for narcolepsy sufferers to gain awareness from. We tend to fear the unknown. But now, you need not to. If you think you are experiencing one or two of the symptoms, have yourself checked. You’ll only be required to have a polysomnogram or a sleep test and a sleep latency test. Remember that this can affect both males and females, it could be you, but I’m certainly hoping not. Try to get as many narcolepsy facts as you can and get educated.