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Cataplexy symptoms6/19/2023 Signs and symptoms Ĭataplexy manifests itself as muscular weakness which may range from a barely perceptible slackening of the facial muscles to complete muscle paralysis with postural collapse. Even if he preferred the term 'astasia' instead of 'cataplexy' the case described by him remained iconic for the full narcoleptic syndrome. Nevertheless, the onset reported by him was in adulthood as compared to the nowadays cases reported in childhood and adolescence. In the same year the French neuropsychiatrist Jean-Baptiste Gélineau coined the term 'narcolepsy' and published some clinical reports that contain details about two patients who have similar condition as the narcoleptic cases nowadays. The term cataplexy originates from the Greek κατά ( kata, meaning "down"), and πλῆξις ( plēxis, meaning "strike") and it was first used around 1880 in German physiology literature to describe the phenomenon of tonic immobility also known as " playing possum" (in reference to the opossum's behavior of feigning death when threatened). Cataplexy without narcolepsy is rare and the cause is unknown. Cataplexy affects approximately 70% of people who have narcolepsy, and is caused by an autoimmune destruction of hypothalamic neurons that produce the neuropeptide hypocretin (also called orexin), which regulates arousal and has a role in stabilization of the transition between wake and sleep states. Hypersomnia also occurs in patients with meningoencephalitis due to African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), which is transmitted by the tsetse fly.Cataplexy is a sudden and transient episode of muscle weakness accompanied by full conscious awareness, typically triggered by emotions such as laughing, crying, or terror. Acute, relatively brief EDS and hypersomnia commonly accompany acute systemic disorders such as influenza. read more can also cause EDS with or without hypersomnia. read more, and seizure disorders Seizure Disorders A seizure is an abnormal, unregulated electrical discharge that occurs within the brain’s cortical gray matter and transiently interrupts normal brain function. Cardinal manifestations are jaundice, coagulopathy, and encephalopathy. ![]() read more, hepatic failure Acute Liver Failure Acute liver failure is caused most often by drugs and hepatitis viruses. Principal causes include hyperparathyroidism. read more, hypercalcemia Hypercalcemia Hypercalcemia is a total serum calcium concentration > 10.4 mg/dL (> 2.60 mmol/L) or ionized serum calcium > 5.2 mg/dL (> 1.30 mmol/L). read more, anemia, uremia, hypercapnia Ventilatory Failure Ventilatory failure is a rise in PaCO2 (hypercapnia) that occurs when the respiratory load can no longer be supported by the strength or activity of the system. In patients with diabetes who take insulin or antihyperglycemic. read more, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia Hypoglycemia Hypoglycemia, or low plasma glucose level can result in sympathetic nervous system stimulation, and central nervous system dysfunction. Signs may include a typical facial appearance, hoarse slow speech, and dry skin. ![]() Symptoms include cold intolerance, fatigue, and weight gain. ![]() Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism is thyroid hormone deficiency. These disorders include space-occupying lesions affecting the hypothalamus or upper brain stem, increased intracranial pressure, and certain forms of encephalitis. Other disorders that can cause chronic EDS are usually suggested by the history and physical examination brain imaging and blood and urine tests can confirm the diagnosis.
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