Increased prevalence of obesity in narcoleptic patients and relatives

Abstract

Increased Body Mass Indices (BMIs), increased prevalences of non insulin-dependent diabetes and sleep apnoe syndrome have been reported to be associated with narcolepsy. Our objective was to explore and possibly confirm the association of narcolepsy and increased BMI. In addition, we addressed the question whether increased BMIs also occur in relatives of narcoleptic patients. Together with narcolepsy-related clinical parameters we measured body weight and height of 132 narcoleptic patients who agreed to participate in our narcolepsy research program. In addition, 52 first degree relatives of 22 index patients, mostly from multiplex families, were included in the study. Data were compared to published general population surveys, recently conducted in Germany and Switzerland as well as to collective of 104 psychiatric inpatients. Narcoleptic patients had significantly increased BMIs in comparison to general populations or psychiatric controls. BMIs of first degree relatives were lower than those of index patients but significantly higher than those found in the general population. BMIs were not related to symptom severity or to medication status. Thus, the elevated BMIs appeared not to be secondary to behavioral consequences of narcolepsy but may reflect a trait at least partially common to index patients and relatives.

The Natural History of Health and Symptoms in Narcolepsy: A to-year Longitudinal Study

“…An increased body mass index (BMI) was found in this sample of people with narcolepsy and this is consistent with many other reports [11,12]. While the present study found 86% were overweight or obese (in 2001), the percentage across the Australian population for these BMI categories is 51.8% for females and 67.3% for males [26].…”

“…In terms of health, people with narcolepsy have an increased association with being overweight or obese [11,12] but no studies have considered how their weight may vary longitudinally. There are reports of people with narcolepsy being more prone to also having other physical illnesses, in particular diabetes mellitus [13] and other sleep disorders [14] and it is expected that the incidence of concomitant illnesses would increase with advancing age.…”

Diretrizes brasileiras para o diagnóstico de narcolepsia

“…The body mass index of narcoleptics is 10% to 20% higher than that of normal controls. 39 The causes of obesity might be related to the hypocretinergic neurotransmission, autonomic nervous system activity, basal metabolism, and the leptin-ghrelin system that is responsible for signaling caloric need, appetite, and satiety. [39][40][41] 6) Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) The prevalence of OSAS is higher in the narcoleptic population (prevalence rates from 9% to 19%) than in the general population.…”

Sex difference in body weight gain and leptin signaling in hypocretin/orexin deficient mouse models

“…Obesity has been reported in narcolepsy for several decades [4,5,13,27], but this phenotype has not been given much attention. This is partially due to the facts that obesity in narcolepsy can be secondary to reduced daytime activities, and that obesity is only observed in a subset of patients, suggesting that this phenotype may not be the cardinal symptom of narcolepsy.…”