September 28, 2007, Newsletter Issue #138: Diseases That Can Cause Narcolepsy

Tip of the Week

In rare cases, people with a disease that affects the brainstem will get also get narcolepsy. The specific disease causes damage to the brain system from areas in which dream sleep originates. This results in narcolepsy.

Diseases that may cause narcolepsy, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, include the following:

- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) - a chronic, unpredictable neurological disease that affects the central nervous system

- Myotonic Dystrophy - MYOTONIC DYSTROPHY is an inherited disorder in which the muscles contract but have decreasing power to relax. With this condition, the muscles also become weak and waste away

- Parkinson's Disease (PD) - Parkinson's disease is a motor system disorder. The four primary symptoms of PD are tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face; rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; slowness of movement; and impaired balance and coordination. As these symptoms become more pronounced, patients may have difficulty walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks.

- Sarcoidosis - involves inflammation that produces tiny lumps of cells in various organs in your body. The lumps are called granulomas because they look like grains of sugar or sand. They are very small and can be seen only with a microscope. These tiny granulomas can grow and clump together, making many large and small groups of lumps. If many granulomas form in an organ, they can affect how the organ works.

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