Diagnostic value of multiple sleep latency test in children with narcolepsy

Abstract

Objective To explore the value of multiple sleep latency test (MSLT)in children with narcolepsy, and summarize the clinical features and characteristics of 30 patients. Methods Thirty narcolepsy patients who got treated in Department of Pediatric Neurology, Shengjing Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University were chosen as the experimental group and 38 healthy children were taken as the healthy control group from January 2014 to September 2016.The sleep latency and sleep onset rapid eye movement periods (SOREMPs)with polysomnography were analyzed in order to find the clinical features of narcolepsy and the follow-up for therapeutic effects was evaluated. Results The narcolepsy patients got their disease at an average age of (7.50±2.08)years old, mostly in 6 to 9 years old, the average course of disease was (17.15±1.81)months.Thirty narcolepsy patients got excessive daytime sleepiness, which also came as the first symptom to hospital, and the sleep latency was (2.83±1.36)min, with an average (1.33±1.09)times of SOREMPs, while the healthy control group got (10.40±4.11)min, and there was significant difference between them(P<0.05). Eight patients got limb weakness or cataplexy, 3 patients got sleep paralysis and 3 patients had hypnagogic hallucination.Twenty-three patients(76.7%)got treatment, 14 cases (46.7%)of them got relieved in less than 3 months, 5 cases (16.7%)in 3 to 6 months, and another 4 cases (13.3%)after 6 months, while the other 7 cases (23.3%)did not get systemic therapy, in which symptoms did not get improved. Conclusion Excessive daytime sleepiness acts as a major clinical symptom in children with narcolepsy, while hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis are relatively infrequent.The peak incidence was in school age, and MSLT can help make an earlier diagnosis. Key words: Narcolepsy; Multiple sleep latency test; Polysomnography; Child