title: [Hypersomnia: a diagnostic problem].
abstract: Hypersomnia is a frequently occurring problem. When taking a medical history it is important to distinguish between fatigue and sleepiness. We present a 14-year-old girl with narcolepsy and a 59-year-old man with idiopathic hypersomnia. Features that are typical of narcolepsy are cataplexy and weight gain. Features that are typical of both narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia are daytime naps, insomnia, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations. Additional testing in patients with hypersomnia should include a polysomnography in order to exclude other sleeping disorders, and a mean sleep latency test. Practice shows that both patients with narcolepsy and those with idiopathic hypersomnia benefit from treatment with stimulating drugs such as modafinil.
authors.affiliation: St. Antonius Ziekenhuis, afd. Neurologie en klinische neurofysiologie, Nieuwegein.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kranenburg
authors.forename: Laurien L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Teunissen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002385:Cataplexy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D009290:Narcolepsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D017286:Polysomnography; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008774:Methylphenidate