Treatment of narcolepsy: A rare disease of unknown etiology

Abstract

Background: Narcolepsy, also known as Gélineau syndrome, is a chronic and neurological disease that affects 0.05% of the European population, though that percentage could be higher due to the diagnostic difficulties. The main symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness, although it may be accompanied by cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations. Objective: Nowadays, there is no cure for narcolepsy and the treatment is symptomatic: psychostimulants for the sleepiness by means of amphetamines, methylphenidate or modafinil, and antidepressants and sodium oxybate for treating cataplexy. Method: This is a short review regarding pharmacotherapy for narcolepsy. Result: Hypocretins were discovered in 1998. They are neuropeptides whose deficit is responsible for this symptomatology, has opened up a new field of investigation. Conclusion: Agonists of hypocretins could be a promising therapy against this disease.