Narcolepsy with cataplexy in monozygotic twins.
BACKGROUND
This paper describes narcolepsy with cataplexy in two monozygotic twin sisters.


OBJECTIVE
To clinically illustrate the involvement of neurological, genetic and immunologic systems in narcolepsy.


METHODS
We performed a restropective study of these patients that were followed in the sleep medicine ambulatory clinic of the Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto.


RESULTS
These sisters are two of the few cases in the literature concordant for narcolepsy with catalepsy and without a "positive HLA" for narcolepsy. They had a typical clinical course of narcolepsy with cataplexy and attended all the neurophysiological diagnostic criteria for narcolepsy.


CONCLUSIONS
In addition to known possible genetical similarity, this report stresses the role of environmental or unknown genetical factors acting on a specific neuro-imuno-genetical background and resulting in narcolepsy.
Clinical Neurophysiology Department, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, Brazil.
Leonardo I
LI
Goulart
Discipline of Gerontology, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
Mário
M
Pedrazolli
Neurology Deptartment, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
Alexandre H
AH
Martori
Neurology Deptartment, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
Alan
A
Eckeli
Neurology Deptartment, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
Heidi H
HH
Sander