Vitamin B12 deficiency and narcolepsy interlinked

Vitamin B-12 deficiency is associated with several diseases and they are are known to cause serious trouble. Narcolepsy, primarily characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy attacks, sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations, which affects 1/2000 individuals. Whether changes in the serum vitamin B12 levels are involved in the pathophysiological mechanism of narcolepsy remains unclear.

This study aimed to assess whether vitamin B12 levels are independently related to the occurrence of narcolepsy. Findings published in Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery says decreased serum vitamin B12 levels are independently associated with the development of narcolepsy, which illustrates the complex relationship between vitamin B12 and narcolepsy. Future studies should explore whether vitamin B12 supplementation can improve the symptoms of patients.