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Published on: February 10, 2020
Recurrent hypersomnia following traumatic brain injury
Michel Billiard1, Claudio Podesta
1Department of Neurology, Gui de Chauliac Hospital, Montpellier, France. mbilliard@wanadoo.fr
Sleep Medicine
|March 19, 2013
Summary
Recurrent hypersomnia after traumatic brain injury (TBI) can occur through various mechanisms. Further clinical assessment is needed to accurately classify these rare cases, distinguishing them from Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS).
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Sleep Medicine
- Traumatology
Background:
- Recurrent hypersomnia (RH) following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a rare condition.
- The International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 2nd Edition (ICSD-2) suggests RH post-TBI should be considered secondary to CNS insults, not as a subtype of Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS).
- This study investigates the classification of RH following TBI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if RH following TBI should be classified as secondary to CNS pathology or as a distinct entity.
- To explore the relationship between TBI and the development of recurrent hypersomnia.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of twelve cases of RH that developed after TBI.
- Evaluation of onset circumstances, TBI severity, delay to RH onset, RH symptoms, episode duration/cycle, physical signs, and brain imaging.
Main Results:
- Two cases were symptomatic of an underlying brain pathology.
- Eight cases appeared triggered by TBI in individuals predisposed to KLS.
- Two cases showed no clear link to TBI due to a significant delay between injury and symptom onset.
Conclusions:
- Recurrent hypersomnia following TBI does not stem from a single cause.
- Accurate classification requires thorough clinical assessment and laboratory testing.
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