Prevalence
Narcolepsy affects approximately 1 in 2000 people with no
distinction between men and women. Narcolepsy can occur at any age
but most commonly starts between the age of 15 and 30
years (1).
Because knowledge about narcolepsy often remains limited and
because it is often mixed up with other conditions such as
depression (a mood disorder) or epilepsy (a condition where people
lose consciousness and muscle control) (2),
accurate diagnosis can often occur as late as 10 years after the
onset of the disease. It is therefore estimated that less than half
of the narcoleptic patients are diagnosed as such.
1. Overeem S. et al. Narcolepsy: Clinical features, new pathophysiologic insights and future perspectives. Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2001;18(2):78-105
2. Thorpy M. Current concepts in the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of narcolepsy. Sleep Med. 2001;2:5-17
