Catathrenia: respiratory disorder or parasomnia?

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Neurology
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• The International Classification of Sleep Disorders-Third Edition (ICSD-3) reclassifies catathrenia as a respiratory disorder, diverging from ICSD-2's parasomnia categorization.
• Limited case reports and varied clinical descriptions highlight ongoing debate regarding catathrenia's nature and origin.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing literature on catathrenia, focusing on sound characteristics, patient demographics, etiology, and treatment response.
• To evaluate evidence supporting catathrenia's classification as either a respiratory disorder or a parasomnia.
• To explore the potential for catathrenia representing one disorder with variants or two distinct disorders.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of studies on catathrenia.
• Analysis of reported patient demographics and clinical sound characteristics.
• Examination of proposed etiologies and treatment outcomes.

Main Results:

• Findings indicate significant variability in reported catathrenia sound characteristics and patient demographics across studies.
• Evidence is presented for and against classification as a respiratory disorder versus a parasomnia.
• The review highlights a lack of consensus on the underlying mechanisms and effective treatments for catathrenia.

Conclusions:

• The classification of catathrenia remains contentious, with arguments supporting both respiratory and parasomnia categorizations.
• Further research is needed to clarify the distinct nature of catathrenia and establish standardized diagnostic criteria and therapeutic approaches.
• The possibility of catathrenia encompassing distinct subtypes or variants warrants further investigation.