title: Obesity accompanies narcolepsy with cataplexy but not narcolepsy without cataplexy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Narcolepsy with cataplexy (NC) differs from narcolepsy without cataplexy (NwoC) in the cerebrospinal fluid levels of hypocretin. Since hypocretin is known to regulate not only wakefulness but also eating behaviour, we decided to compare the two entities for body mass index (BMI) and the presence of obesity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical data on patients with NC and NwoC was studied and examined, including nocturnal polysomnography and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). The results were rated against a group of age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The BMI in NC (29.1±SD=5.8) was significantly higher than in NwoC (25.4±4.4) or in the controls (25.8±3.9) (p<0.001, F=17.4, df= 323), while no difference in BMI was found between NwoC and the controls. The proportion of patients with BMI >30 was significantly greater in NC (39.0%) than in NwoC (13.8%) or than in the control group (13.0%). A negative correlation of BMI and sleep latency in MSLT (p=0.009) was found in the combined NC and NwoC groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Unlike NC, NwoC has neither a higher BMI nor a higher incidence of obesity than the general population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic. ksonka@lf1.cuni.cz
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sonka
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kemlink
authors.forename: Jitka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Busková
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pretl
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Srůtková
authors.forename: Eszter
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maurovich Horvat
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vodicka
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Poláková
authors.forename: Sona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nevsímalová
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002385:Cataplexy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015897:Comorbidity; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D009290:Narcolepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017286:Polysomnography; D012890:Sleep; D014851:Wakefulness