Clinical features of Chinese children with narcolepsy: a report of 32 cases

Abstract

Objective To raise the awareness of childhood narcolepsy. Methods We analyzed the clinical data of 32 children with narcolepsy and review the literature. Results All the patients manifested as excessive daytime sleepiness with irresistible sleep attacks.Cataplexy appeared in 26 cases (81.3％),hypnagogic hallucination in 11 cases (34.4％),and sleep paralysis in merely 2 cases (6.25％).Daytime sleepiness was the first symptom in most cases.Common features included night sleep disorder,emotional disorder,excessive weight gain,and earlier puberty.Owing to the young age and short duration,a few children could have the false negative multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) results.Conclusion Excessive daytime sleepiness with irresistible sleep attacks and cataplexy are the typical clinical manifestations of Chinese narcoleptic children. A definite diagnosis is established on the comprehensive analysis of symptoms and assistant examination. Key words: Narcolepsy; Polysomnography; Multiple sleep latency test