Sodium-relevant comorbidity risk factors are highly prevalent in individuals with narcolepsy or idiopathic...

Individuals with narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) present with a high comorbidity burden that may confer elevated risk for negative clinical outcomes associated with excess sodium intake. This study characterized the prevalence and profiles of sodium-relevant comorbidity risk factors among individuals with either condition.

Individuals with narcolepsy or IH (index: first diagnosis) and corresponding non-narcolepsy or non-IH cohorts (index: random date) were identified from Komodo Research Data (01/01/2016-01/31/2024) and entropy balanced on age, sex, race/ethnicity, region of residence, health plan type, and year of index. Sodium-relevant risk factors were identified through literature review and included cardiovascular, cardiometabolic, and renal comorbidities, liver cirrhosis, and sleep apnea. Risk factor prevalence was assessed in the 12-month pre-index period defined by diagnosis, treatment, or procedure code(s).

The narcolepsy and non-narcolepsy cohorts included 29,317 and 146,585 individuals, respectively, and the IH and non-IH cohorts included 11,951 and 59,755 individuals, respectively. Individuals with vs without narcolepsy had a higher prevalence of at least 1 sodium-relevant risk factor (69.2% vs 43.6%), including cardiovascular (40.8% vs 27.8%), cardiometabolic (49.9% vs 35.8%), and renal (5.3% vs 3.0%) conditions. Similarly, individuals with vs without IH had a higher prevalence of at least 1 sodium-relevant risk factor (74.4% vs 43.0%), including cardiovascular (40.2% vs 26.5%), cardiometabolic (51.8% vs 35.3%), and renal (4.2% vs 2.6%) conditions.

This study demonstrates the high prevalence of sodium-relevant comorbidity risk factors among individuals with narcolepsy or IH. Careful management, including limiting sodium exposure, may mitigate the clinical burden in these populations.