by Alex Tours

Created on: May 27, 2008   Last Updated: May 28, 2008

Narcolepsy is a neurological illness in which the brain fails to properly regulate the periods of wakefulness and sleep.

This short article reviews information on narcolepsy symptoms and cause, its treatment and problems that sufferers may face in society and in employment.

The number of narcolepsy sufferers is not known exactly because it is a difficult illness to diagnose and many instances go unreported. However, estimates are that it afflicts about 1 in every 2,000 people in the western world.

The most common symptoms of narcolepsy are :
1 - Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS), where the sufferer has to expend huge effort just to remain awake;
2 - Sleep attacks, where the sufferer falls asleep involuntarily;
3 - Micro-sleeps, where the sufferer can drift into sleep for as little as 30 seconds whilst undertaking an activity;
4 - Sudden loss of muscular control triggered by laughing, anger or other emotional situations. This can be so severe as to cause complete collapse but the sufferer remains fully conscious unlike in an epileptic fit. This is called cataplexy and only occurs in people with narcolepsy. About 75% of narcolepsy sufferers have cataplexy attacks but these might not develop for some years after other symptoms appear..

Symptoms most commonly appear between a person's late teens and early thirties and may improve or deteriorate with time.

Narcolepsy was first identified as a condition over one hundred years ago but it was only in the late 1990s that scientists began to understand the cause. It is now believed that a deficiency in a chemical called orexin in the brain's cerebro-spinal fluid is the reason.

Positive diagnosis of narcolepsy is difficult unless the sufferer also has cataplexy.

Diagnosis for narcolepsy sufferers without cataplexy relies on expert analysis by specialist "sleep centers" that have the capability to test the brain's electrical activity as the sufferer falls into and out of sleep.

There is no cure and narcolepsy medicine just eases the symptoms of the illness, hopefully allowing the sufferer to lead a more normal life. It is possible to buy narcolepsy medication on-line but you need to be careful about the possible side-effects.

The most common medicines for narcolepsy are:
- Provigil or Ritalin against the symptoms of narcolepsy itself;
- Antidepressants to combat symptoms of sufferers who also have cataplexy.

Narcolepsy is a debilitating illness that, because of its obscurity and its symptoms, carries a high social cost to the sufferer. Even one's husband, wife or children can believe that the sufferer is "just not trying", so it is hardly surprising that the difficulty of living normally in wider society and in employment is even greater.

For a narcolepsy sufferer to succeed in the workplace takes a very understanding employer. In a survey, about 50% of sufferers worried about losing their jobs and said the illness reduced their earning capacity. In one fifth of cases the illness led to a dismissal. In the US, narcolepsy social security disability benefit is available to sufferers but it may be necessary to employ a lawyer to assist with the claim, particularly if, in the absence of cataplexy, diagnosis is difficult.

Narcolepsy support groups exist to guide sufferers to narcolepsy health articles, provide advice and a forum where sufferers can share their experiences with others. For instance, try http://www.narcolepsynetwork.org/ and, in the UK, http://www.narcolepsy.org.uk/.

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