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What is cataplexy? It is an uncontrolled and sudden loss of muscle tone throughout the day. As sleep disorders are becoming a more and more frequently diagnosed ailment, frequent and long-lasting episodes should be consulted with a specialist doctor. Untreated cataplexy threatens the health and life of not only the patient but also his environment.
Unfortunately, the prevalence of cataplexy is increasing. This is due to irregular lifestyle, which very often affects sleep problems. Lack of sleep or its disturbed rhythm adversely affects the work of our brain, not only physical fatigue appears, but also problems with memory and concentration.
Cataplexy – causes
Cataplexy is also known as atony. The disease is a disorder of motor activity, and more precisely, it is a loss of skeletal muscle tone, most often under the influence of strong emotions. The voltage returns to normal after a long time. Very often, cataplexy is one of the symptoms of neurological and psychological diseases. Cataplexy is caused by a deficiency of hypocretin, which is found in the cerebrospinal fluid.
One of the diseases that manifests itself in cataplexy is narcolepsy, which is characterized by uncontrolled daytime sleepiness. The patient cannot control the need to sleep and falls asleep suddenly, no matter where he or she is. Therefore, the patient must be under constant medical supervision. The episodes are not long, as they last several or several minutes, and the patient wakes up refreshed. It happens, however, that these sudden falls asleep are accompanied by sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and then it is a clear signal that cataplexy is related to narcolepsy.
Reasons that can trigger cataplexy include strong emotion, fear and even laughter. According to studies, cataplexy is triggered more often with positive emotions, even memories can trigger a “sleep attack”. Cataplexy can appear at any age. In children, this ailment occurs in the course of metabolic diseases, for example in myotonic dystrophy. According to specialists, a state analogous to the one that occurs in cataplexy occurs during REM sleep.
What symptoms appear with cataplexy? Of course, its main symptom is a sudden loss of muscle tone, the person collapses suddenly without being able to control his entire body. Cataplexy is also characterized by objects falling out of the hand. Total loss of tension is total cataplexy, but in medicine there is also partial cataplexy. In partial atony, the muscles of the face and hands may droop, the patient’s head may droop.
It is very important that during an attack the patient is fully aware of the situation, so it is easy to distinguish atony seizures from epileptic seizures in which consciousness is disturbed.
Cataplexy – treatment
Bad diagnosis and confusing cataplexy with epilepsy result in administering the wrong drugs, because epilepsy drugs. Appropriate drugs that are necessary in the treatment of atony are drugs prescribed by a psychiatrist. Most often, the patient is recommended antidepressants such as imipramine or clomipramine. In some cases, the doctor prescribes antidepressants from the group of serotonin reciprocating inhibitors, such as fluoxetine. Cataplexy in narcolepsy is treated with sodium butyrate, which regulates sleep, but is highly addictive. Pharmacology should be accompanied by proper sleep hygiene.