Narcolepsy may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and adverse cardiac events, study finds
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Two new studies to be presented at the SLEEP 2024 annual meeting showed that narcolepsy is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and adverse cardiac events.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, narcolepsy is a central disorder of hypersomnolence primarily characterized by repeated daily episodes of an irrepressible need to sleep or lapses into drowsiness or sleep. In some cases, sleepiness manifests as sudden, irresistible sleep “attacks” that may occur in unusual situations such as eating or walking. People who have narcolepsy also may experience episodes of cataplexy, which involve the sudden loss of muscle tone with retained consciousness, along with hallucinations or sleep paralysis during the transition from wake to sleep.
The cohort studies used the 2005-2021 Commercial and Medicare Supplemental databases to identify people with a first diagnosis of narcolepsy and a comparison cohort of people without narcolepsy. Both study samples comprised 34,562 people with narcolepsy and 1,00,405 matched controls. The researchers controlled for the use of stimulants, oxybates, and other wake-promoting agents because these medications are commonly used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness associated with narcolepsy.
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