clinical features

Last reviewed 01/2018

The clinical features of narcolepsy include:

• excessive daytime sleepiness:
• many patients feel sleepy most of the time
• episodically sleep becomes irresistible
• after a nap of 10-15 min the patient feels refreshed

• cataplexy:
• 60-90% of patients

• hypnagogic and hypnapompic hallucinations:
• 30-60% of patients

• sleep paralysis:
• 30-60% of patients

The patient my present at any age from childhood to the sixth decade. The peak incidence is between 10 and 20 years. Often patients complain that a change in sleep pattern triggered the disorder.