title: Narcolepsy with Cataplexy in an Elderly Woman.
abstract: A 72-year-old woman was referred for a 15-year history of brief attacks of generalized weakness that occurred when she was tense or startled. During these episodes, she squatted, closed her eyes, and had difficulty speaking, but there was no disturbance of consciousness. The cerebrospinal fluid level of orexin/hypocretin was low (92 ng/L), leading to a diagnosis of narcolepsy with cataplexy according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD)-2 criteria. Cataplexy should be considered for sudden attacks of weakness lasting less than 2 minutes and with no alteration of consciousness. Measurement of cerebrospinal fluid levels of orexin/hypocretin is recommended when the diagnosis is uncertain.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Chiba University Hospital, 1-8-1, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-city, Chiba, 260-8677, Japan, shngszkthk@yahoo.co.jp.
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.forename: Masatomi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikusaka
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002385:Cataplexy / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009290:Narcolepsy / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D000068797:Orexins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D014741:Video Recording
chemical_list: C000596229:HCRT protein, human; D000068797:Orexins