Narcolepsy: the impact of aging, hypocretin deficiency, and years of formal education in olfactory function and abdominal obesity

Abstract

Background: Narcolepsy is a disease resulting from the loss of hypocretin-producing cells or other dysfunctions of the hypocretinergic system. In addition to sleep disorders, affected patients may experience increased weight gain, olfactory changes, and poorer quality of life. Methods: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between narcolepsy and weight gain, years of study, sleep parameters, and olfactory dysfunction in patients with narcolepsy type 1 and narcolepsy type 2. Anthropometric, olfactory, socioeducational, and excessive daytime sleepiness evaluations were performed in 77 patients. Results: Greater weight gain and abdominal obesity were observed in patients with type 1 narcolepsy. Patients with higher education level had lower scores of daytime sleepiness, higher scores on the olfactory function test, and lower rates of abdominal obesity. Discussion: Patients with narcolepsy type 1 showed an increased body weight and abdominal obesity when compared to narcolepsy type 2. The patients with a higher schooling level showed a reduction of the daytime sleepiness scores, lower rates of abdominal obesity, and better scores on the olfactory function test. Conclusion: Among all the patients with narcolepsy, the data indicated that aging and hypocretin deficiency are associated with abdominal obesity, while years of study is the variable that mostly influences olfaction function.

Narcolepsy: an interface among neurology, immunology, sleep, and genetics

“…Notable among these are obesity, a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders, pain, olfactory impairment, fatigue, immunological diseases, and numerous side effects associated with medications, including an elevated risk of cardiovascular events. 39 40 41 42 …”

“…Data indicate that aging and hypocretin deficiency correlate with abdominal obesity, while years of study are primarily influenced by olfactory function. 40 …”

“…Notable among these are obesity, a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders, pain, olfactory impairment, fatigue, immunological diseases, and numerous side effects associated with medications, including an elevated risk of cardiovascular events. [39][40][41][42] The relationship between narcolepsy and psychiatric conditions has been a subject of extensive discussion. A recent study investigated the association of narcolepsy with schizophrenia (SCZ), major depressive disorder (MDD), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using three distinct genome-wide approaches.…”

Narcolepsia: un síndrome de somnolencia diurna con impacto en la calidad de vida

“…Los cambios en el sistema de hipocretina/orexina afectan el estado de sueño/vigilia y contribuyen a empeorar la calidad del sueño y la calidad de la vida. Los pacientes con narcolepsia también pueden tener algún grado de disfunción olfatoria y, además, se ha asociado un aumento en las tasas de sobrepeso y obesidad en personas en estos pacientes, lo que demuestra que la disfunción en este sistema puede tener efectos en el balance energético del individuo (10).…”

From REM to orexin: clinical progress in narcolepsy - was it worth the wait? was it worth the “weight?”

“…Enter the current authors Giselle de Martin Truzzi, Maria Fernand Naufel, Sergio Tufik, and Fernando Morgadinho Coelho, and their scholarly work entitled "Narcolepsy: The impact of aging, deficiency of hypocretin and years of formal education in olfaction function and abdominal obesity" 13 . In my opinion, this article reflects the "new generation" of clinical concerns regarding this intriguing and fascinating primary sleep disorder of diurnal hypersomnolence.…”