Narcolepsy-like symptoms in a patient with down syndrome and without obstructive sleep apnea.
OBJECTIVE
The study reports on a 33-year-old Caucasian female with Down syndrome and narcolepsy-like symptoms.


METHODS
After medical and genetic screening, docturnal polysomnography followed by a Multiple Sleep Latency Test and HLA typing were performed. The patient was medication free and reported a number of cataplexy attacks everyday. Each time that she came to the sleep disorders clinic, she was observed to have cataplexy. She also felt extremely drowsy. A mean sleep latency of 8.8 minutes with 4 sleep-onset rapid eye movement periods in the Multiple Sleep Latency Test, with no other sleep disorder that accounts for the symptoms, was obtained. The patient was DQB1*0301, DQB1*0602, as revealed by the last high-resolution serologic typing.
Serv. Medicina Interna, Unidad de Sueño, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain. luis.dominguez@clinicaludor.com
Luis
L
Dominguez-Ortega
Rafael J
RJ
Salin-Pascual
Elena
E
Díaz-Gállego
D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009290:Narcolepsy / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017286:Polysomnography; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology
D000927:Anticonvulsants