REM behavior disorder (RBD) can be one of the first symptoms of childhood narcolepsy

Sleep Med. 2007 Nov;8(7-8):784-6. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2006.11.018. Epub 2007 Jun 13.

Abstract

More than one in three adult patients suffering from narcolepsy-cataplexy experience rapid eye movement (REM) behavior disorder (RBD), while RBD in childhood is extremely rare. We present the cases of two girls (aged 9 and 7 years old) with narcolepsy-cataplexy, in whom RBD was one of the first symptoms of the disease. The coincidence of RBD was seen by nocturnal video-polysomnography (v-PSG), and narcolepsy was diagnosed from short sleep latency and multiple sleep onset REMs (SOREMs) during a multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). Both girls were human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQB1 *0602 positive, and their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypocretin level (Hcrt-1) was extremely low.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Narcolepsy / complications
  • Narcolepsy / diagnosis*
  • Polysomnography
  • REM Sleep Behavior Disorder / complications
  • REM Sleep Behavior Disorder / diagnosis*
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Sleep, REM / physiology