The prevalence of certain comorbidities is higher in patients with narcolepsy compared with matched controls3-5
Some risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the general population are modifiable with changes to the management plan6-15
Certain comorbidities, including cardiovascular (CV) conditions, occur more frequently in patients with narcolepsy compared with matched controls.3-5 Some common risk factors for CV disease are modifiable, including sodium intake.7
Find answers to your questions about narcolepsy, including diagnosis, risk factors for comorbidities, and patient lifestyle modifications.
Learn more about the complexities, burden, and potential long-term health implications of narcolepsy for your patients.
Sleep specialists discuss how recent research has led to a more comprehensive, long-term management approach to narcolepsy.
- Thorpy MJ, Hiller G. The medical and economic burden of narcolepsy: implications for managed care. Am Health Drug Benefits. 2017;10(5):233-241.
- Flores NM, Villa KF, Black J, Chervin RD, Witt EA. The humanistic and economic burden of narcolepsy. J Clin Sleep Med. 2016;12(3):401-407.
- Ohayon MM. Narcolepsy is complicated by high medical and psychiatric comorbidities: a comparison with the general population. Sleep Med. 2013;14(6):488-492.
- Black J, Reaven NL, Funk SE, et al. Medical comorbidity in narcolepsy: findings from the Burden of Narcolepsy Disease (BOND) study. Sleep Med. 2017;33:13-18.
- Cohen A, Mandrekar J, St Louis EK, Silber MH, Kotagal S. Comorbidities in a community sample of narcolepsy. Sleep Med. 2018;43:14-18.
- Whelton PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: executive summary: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines [published correction appears in Hypertension. 2018;71(6):e136-e139] [published correction appears in Hypertension. 2018;72(3):e33]. Hypertension. 2018;71(6):1269-1324.
- Jackson SL, King SM, Zhao L, Cogswell ME. Prevalence of excess sodium intake in the United States—NHANES, 2009-2012. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;64(52):1393-1397.
- Benjamin EJ, Muntner P, Alonso A, et al.; American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2019 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2019;139(10):e56-e528.
- Lloyd-Jones DM, Hong Y, Labarthe D, et al.; American Heart Association Strategic Planning Task Force and Statistics Committee. Defining and setting national goals for cardiovascular health promotion and disease reduction: the American Heart Association's strategic Impact Goal through 2020 and beyond. Circulation. 2010;121(4):586-613.
- Salehi-Abargouei A, Maghsoudi Z, Shirani F, Azadbakht L. Effects of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-style diet on fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular diseases—incidence: a systematic review and meta-analysis on observational prospective studies. Nutrition. 2013;29(4):611-618.
- Quan SF. Sleep disturbances and their relationship to cardiovascular disease. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2009;3(1 suppl):55s-59s.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sleep and sleep disorders: Sleep and Chronic Disease. https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/chronic_disease.html. Last reviewed August 8, 2020. Accessed April 30, 2021.
- McAlpine CS, Kiss MG, Rattik S, et al. Sleep modulates haematopoiesis and protects against atherosclerosis. Nature. 2019;566(7744):383-387.
- Dauvilliers Y, Jaussent I, Krams B, et al. Non-dipping blood pressure profile in narcolepsy with cataplexy. PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e38977.
- Grimaldi D, Calandra-Buonaura G, Provini F, et al. Abnormal sleep-cardiovascular system interaction in narcolepsy with cataplexy: effects of hypocretin deficiency in humans. Sleep. 2012:35(4):519-528.