Between 60 and 80% of patients with narcolepsy are undiagnosed.

-Patients with narcolepsy may take up to 10 years to be diagnosed by social ignorance of this disease and because their symptoms is mistakenly blame the vaguería or gandulería and not a disorder neurological.

– you should go to the neurologist in case of experiencing excessive sleepiness during more than three months and/or muscle weakness to express emotions.

-society Spanish Neurology estimated more than 25,000 people suffering from narcolepsy in Spain.

Spain, March 2012.- On Sunday, 18 March was held the European day of narcolepsy, a chronic neurological disorder characterized by the inability of the brain to regulate wakefulness and sleep cycles and whose most disabling symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness. Sociedad Española de Neurología (SEN) estimated that narcolepsy affects approximately 25,000 people in Spain, but taking into account that it is thought that you between 60% and 80% of patients are not diagnosed and, on many occasions, detected the 6 or even 10 years have begun to have early symptomsThis figure may be even higher.

The main problem for the diagnosis is that you it’s a rare disease that develops gradually, so it is common for your main symptom, excessive sleepiness, be attributed to other causes such as overwork, lack of sleep, or vaguería ”, said DRA. Gemma Sansa Fayos, Coordinator of the study group of wakefulness and dream of the society Spanish of Neurology. that is why if you experience excessive sleepiness during more than three months and/or muscle weakness to express emotions is important to see a neurologist. Although currently the narcolepsy has no cure, its more disabling symptoms, such as excessive daytime sleepiness and Cataplexy, can be treated very effectively ”.

In addition to experience an urgent need to sleep, that at times it can manifest itself in a somnolence so sudden and intense that makes that the sick sleep in the most unexpected situations, 50% of patients with narcolepsy have difficulty sleeping well at night; 20% suffers from nightmares, paralysis and hallucinations; 80% have automatic behaviours or sleepwalking and 20% suffers from eating disorders, with a tendency to obesity. But in addition, 70 per cent of the cases have cataplexy, i.e., loss of muscle tone suddenly and reversible episodes which tend to be triggered by emotions such as anger, surprise, laughter, happiness, … what does that patients tend to try to isolate themselves emotionally.

In the case of the sleep attacks, so characteristic of this disease, it is usual to be of short duration, between 10 and 15 minutes episodes, and expiration date a minimum of an hour between an attack and another ”, explains the DRA. Gemma Sansa. On the other hand, the episodes of cataplexy can affect all of the voluntary muscles, but also specific muscle groups, or simply relaxation or some muscle weakness in particular, usually in the neck, legs or the jaw. These episodes usually last seconds, but they may be up to half an hour ”.

Although the first symptoms of narcolepsy can occur at any age, the vast majority of cases often occur between 10 and 25 years. Narcolepsy symptoms begin to manifest themselves gradually, so the first warnings, it is common that not given the relevance that have. But it is important to detect the disease early to improve the quality of life of patients. If not diagnosed and untreated, patients may have social, cognitive and psychological difficulties such as behavior, hyperactivity, attention deficit problems, work or school failure, social isolation or low self-esteem ”, says the DRA. Gemma Sansa.

In recent years much progress has made in research of this disease. It is known that narcolepsy occurs when the brain experiences a reduction in the number of neurons of hypothalamic responsible for the synthesis of a protein called hypocretin, responsible for keeping us awake. New evidence seems to indicate that narcolepsy is a disease autoimmune in nature. But the causes for which these neurons are lost, they are still unclear. Although there is genetic relationship, the risk of relatives of people with narcolepsy is low. For that reason, are shuffled others as infection by Streptococcus or specific characteristics of the immune system ”, explains the DRA. Gemma Sansa. In any case, thanks to the advances that have been produced in the research of this disease believe that, as we are able to synthesise artificially hypocretin, it is possible that we will be able to find the cure ”.