CATAPLEXY

Course overview

CATAPLEXY, A PHYSICAL FEATURE OF NARCOLEPSY, IS CHARACTERIZED BY TRANSIENT EPISODES OF VOLUNTARY MUSCLE WEAKNESS PRECIPITATED BY INTENSE EMOTION. SUBJECTIVE DESCRIPTIONS OF CATAPLEXY CAN ASSIST IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF NARCOLEPSY, AS THIS FEATURE IS ALMOST UNIQUE TO THE DISORDER. WHILE ONE-THIRD OF PATIENTS PRESENT WITH THE CLASSIC NARCOLEPSY TETRAD (CATAPLEXY, EXCESSIVE DAYTIME SLEEPINESS, HYPNAGOGIC HALLUCINATIONS, AND SLEEP PARALYSIS), TWO-THIRDS OF NARCOLEPTIC PATIENTS ARE AFFECTED BY CATAPLEXY. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTHCARE TEAM IN IMPROVING CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH NARCOLEPSY, BY RAISING AWARENESS OF CATAPLEXY.