Abstract
The aim of our study was to evaluate clinical and polysomnographic parameters to verify if cataplexy appearing later in life can be foretold. Methods: 30 patients (12 boys), who contracted narcolepsy before the age of 18, were enrolled.
All underwent clinical examination, nocturnal polysomnography (PSG), multiple sleep latency test (MSLT), HLA-DQB1*0602 testing and, most of them Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) rating. The Mann Whitney rank and Fisher's tests were used for statistical analysis.
Results: Narcolepsy without cataplexy (NwC) was diagnosed in 40% of the patients. The mean age at the first symptoms was 14.0 +/- 3.0, at diagnosis 15.6 +/- 3.1 years.
Narcolepsy was accompanied by hypnagogic hallucinations in 15 and sleep paralysis in 12 patients. Conclusion: Narcolepsy in childhood leaves very little scope for the prediction of cataplexy later in life.