Cataplexy Is A Symptom Associated With ________. (2024)

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Cataplexy Is A Symptom Associated With ________.? ›

Cataplexy is a transient, sudden loss of voluntary muscle control brought on by a strong emotional trigger such as laughing or excitement. Cataplexy is almost always associated with narcolepsy.

Cataplexy is a symptom associated with narcolepsy and is characterized by skeletal muscle weakness. Hyperactivity is not a symptom of narcolepsy.

An episode usually lasts just a few minutes and goes away on its own. Strong, feel-good emotions tied to things like laughter, joking, and pleasant surprises tend to trigger cataplexy. Negative emotions like frustration, anger, stress, or fear can set it off, too, but less often.

Other causes of cataplexy include Niemann-Pick type C Disease, Angelman Syndrome, Norrie Disease, Prader-Willi Syndrome. In addition, cataplexy can be a side effect of several drugs (eg, lamotrigine, clozapine, and gamma-hydroxybutyrate).

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological condition producing disruption to the normal sleep pattern. This produces excessive sleepiness. Narcolepsy may occur with or without cataplexy. Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle tone and power in response to strong emotion - it always and only occurs as part of narcolepsy .

Cataplexy—This sudden loss of muscle tone while a person is awake leads to weakness and a loss of voluntary muscle control. It is often triggered by sudden, strong emotions such as laughter, fear, anger, stress, or excitement.

Cataplexy, a physical feature of narcolepsy, is characterized by transient episodes of voluntary muscle weakness precipitated by intense emotion. Subjective descriptions of cataplexy can assist in the identification of narcolepsy, as this feature is almost unique to the disorder.

Cataplexy mimics include syncope, epilepsy, hyperekplexia, drop attacks and pseudocataplexy. They can be differentiated from cataplexy using thorough history taking, supplemented with (home)video recordings whenever possible.

Cataplexy is the most specific symptom of narcolepsy.

Characterized by the sudden, generally brief loss of muscle tone triggered by strong emotions. In children, cataplexy can occur without clear emotional triggers.

Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) and oxybate salts (Xywav).

These medicines work well at relieving cataplexy. They help improve nighttime sleep, which is often poor in narcolepsy. They also may help control daytime sleepiness. It's taken in two doses, one at bedtime and one up to four hours later.

Can cataplexy go away? ›

There is no cure for cataplexy, and treatment is symptom management with good sleep hygiene practices and the use of medication as necessary. Additionally, safety measures should be put in place to avoid serious injury that can result from falls.

Coping With Cataplexy

While experiencing cataplexy can be a frightening experience, episodes aren't considered to be dangerous so long as a person is in a safe place.

Stimulant medicines can help you stay awake during the day. Antidepressant medicines can help reduce episodes of cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations. Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) works well to control cataplexy. It can also help control daytime sleepiness.

Most people who have narcolepsy also experience cataplexy, which is sudden temporary muscle weakness or loss of muscular control. Typical symptoms of cataplexy are: the jaw dropping. the head slumping down.

Nighttime sleep in patients with narcolepsy is characterized by a short sleep latency and a sleep-onset REM period in approximately 50% of cases. Aside from the short sleep latency, it is also characterized by an inability to stay asleep. Patients with narcolepsy experience frequent awakenings during sleep.

There's a name for this phenomenon: It's called a hypnic jerk or sleep start. It's a sudden increase in muscle activity that happens to just about everybody and can be quite literally startling, though the intensity depends on the person, says Carl Bazil, M.D. Ph.

There is a strong association between cataplexy and narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that features excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep paralysis. Approximately two-thirds of individuals dealing with narcolepsy are also affected by cataplexy. Laughter is the most common trigger of cataplexy.

Cataplexy. sudden loss of muscle control.

There is a key difference that can be used to tell the difference between cataplexy and a seizure, which is that people with narcolepsy will usually remember having a cataplexy episode, whereas people with epilepsy typically won't remember a seizure.

Cataplexy is defined as sudden involuntary muscle weakness or paralysis during wakefulness, typically triggered by strong emotions, and is the pathognomonic symptom of narcolepsy with cataplexy—a sleep disorder that affects 0.06% of the adult population.