21503_Improving the Care of Patients with Narcolepsy: Evidence-Based Strategies

Michael J. Sateia, MD and Helene A Emsellem, MD and Shalanda L. Mitchell, RPSGT, RST describe best practices in recognition, diagnosis and treatment of narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurologic disorder that is often underrecognized and underdiagnosed in the clinical setting despite advances in the understanding of its etiology and pathophysiology. The diagnosis of narcolepsy is often overlooked and could be attributed to other medical or even psychiatric conditions with years of missed diagnosis. Therefore, sleep technologists can aid physicians in the diagnosis of patients with narcolepsy, thereby truly helping narcoleptics lead better and healthier lives.

Narcolepsy is a clinical syndrome characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hallucinations, automatic behaviors, and fragmented or disrupted sleep. Symptoms often start in childhood or adolescence, but can occur later in life. Narcolepsy is a substantially disabling disease with profound physical, mental, and social effects. If left untreated, narcoleptics risk falling asleep any time during the day, emphasizing the importance of controlling the condition for individuals who regularly operate dangerous machinery or rely on motor vehicles for regular transportation. The treatment of narcolepsy is aimed at the different symptoms that the patient manifests. Unfortunately, lifestyle changes are rarely sufficient to adequately control the symptoms of narcolepsy, and most patients require life-long medication to cope with the debilitating effects of this disorder. Pharmacologic treatment has been highly recommended and supported by well-designed research that shows its effectiveness. Pharmacologic therapies for narcolepsy include those to treat EDS and cataplexy.

In this program, experts in narcolepsy management will describe best practices in the recognition and diagnosis including definitions from the DSM-5 and ICSD-3 guidelines, diagnostic tests available to detect narcolepsy, treatment options and associated clinical efficacy and safety data. Short lecture presentations will be followed by one case study presentation with panel discussion.

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