[Narcolepsy and Other 'Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence']

Narcolepsy and Other 'Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence' Abstract. 'Excessive daytime sleepiness', 'hypersomnia' in the sense of prolonged sleep need, 'tiredness' or 'fatigue' are frequent complaints in primary care, requiring a careful separation in view of a correct diagnostic. After exclusion of various internistic and neurologic causes by clinical and laboratory investigations and after exclusion of sleep apnoea syndrome or other causes of disturbed sleep by polysomnography, the ambiguous group of 'Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence' remains, including narcolepsy with and without cataplexy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and non-organic hypersomnia. Due to the important therapeutic consequences, these diseases must be differentiated and distinguished from insufficient sleep and from chronic fatigue syndrome, often requiring interdisciplinary diagnostics including objective assessment of the reported complaints.