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Hypersomnias Other than Narcolepsy: Differential Diagnosis

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Narcolepsy

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Abstract

Although narcolepsy can be viewed as a key hypersomnia in relation to its severity and the light it sheds on the whole field of sleep due to its special clinical, polysomnographic, pharmacological and neurochemical, immunogenetic and hypocretinergic features, it is not by far the most frequent hypersomnia. Diagnosing other hypersomnias is a matter of clinical reasoning leading to a clinical impression, sufficient by itself or orienting towards various laboratory tests. This review will cover five different groups of hypersomnia: hypersomnia as a direct consequence of a behaviour or of the use of a drug or substance, hypersomnia as a consequence of a sleep-related breathing disorder, hypersomnia of central origin other than narcolepsy, hypersomnia associated with various medical disorders and hypersomnia not due to substance or known physiological condition (psychiatric hypersomnia). For all these conditions clinical and laboratory tests will be reviewed, as well as the present state of knowledge in terms of pathophysiology. In addition, the issue of periodic limb movements in sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness will be discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Gui de Chauliac Hospital, 80, Avenue Augustin Fliche, 34295, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Michel Billiard

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  1. Michel Billiard
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Correspondence to Michel Billiard .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Narcolepsy Institute, Montefiore Medical Center, East 210 Street 111, Bronx, 10467, U.S.A.

    Meeta Goswami

  2. Dept. Pharmacology, Columbia University, West 168th St. 630, New York, 10032, U.S.A.

    S. R. Pandi-Perumal

  3. Sleep-Wake Disorders Center, Montefiore Hospital, East 210th Street 111, Bronx, 10467, U.S.A.

    Michael J. Thorpy

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Billiard, M. (2010). Hypersomnias Other than Narcolepsy: Differential Diagnosis. In: Goswami, M., Pandi-Perumal, S., Thorpy, M. (eds) Narcolepsy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0854-4_15

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