About the Rare Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS)

Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS) is a rare sleep disorder described by repeated and long episodes of hypersomnia. It can also be associated with behavioral/cognitive disturbances, binge eating, and, more rarely, hypersexuality. KLS primarily strikes adolescents and typically stops when the person reaches adulthood to middle age.

The cause of KLS is unknown, however nearly half of the patients experience a non-specific, mainly flu-like infectious disease few days before the onset of their first KLS episode. Since KLS is rare, but the onset triggers the very common flu-like symptoms, researchers think genetics might play a part in who gets KLS.

Studies show that Kleine-Levin Syndrome may be an autoimmune disease, which means your immune system attacks itself by mistake and you can get sick. In KLS, the association of an infection before the onset of a disease, a recurrence of symptoms and possible genetic predisposition is suggestive of an autoimmune disease. More studies are being conducted on this theory.