A Global View on Narcolepsy - A Review Study

Narcolepsy is an incurable neurological disorder when the brain is not able to regulate a sleep and wakefulness cycle correctly. The affected person suddenly falls asleep during the day or he/she suffers from excessive day sleepiness. In addition, people may also suffer from cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and disturbed nighttime sleep. The purpose of this review study is to provide the latest information on both clinical and socioeconomic issues in the field of narcolepsy treatment and emphasize its benefits and limitations. The methodological approaches include a method of literature review of available sources exploring the issue of narcolepsy, both from a global and specific perspective point of view. On the basis of evaluation of these literature sources, the researched issue is examined. The main benefits (e.g., new drugs are being tested or non-invasive cognitive behavioral therapies are being applied) and limitations (e.g., late diagnosis of the disease or lifelong and costly treatment) of the treatment of narcolepsy are highlighted. The findings call for more research in the field of the development of novel drugs reflecting understanding of the neurological basis of narcolepsy and early diagnosis in order to eliminate the symptoms of narcolepsy and prevent the development of this disease.