ArticleSleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung2019
Medical specialty visits and diagnoses received by Saudi patients prior to a diagnosis of narcolepsy.
Article in Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effects of caffeine on drowsiness in patients with narcolepsy: a double-blind randomized controlled pilot study.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2020Trial
- Advancing Narcolepsy Advocacy: Bridging Patient Narratives and Systemic Change.Nature and science of sleep · 2025Article
- Recognizing the Symptom Spectrum of Narcolepsy to Improve Timely Diagnosis: A Narrative Review.Nature and science of sleep · 2021Review
- Neuropsychiatric Correlates of Narcolepsy.Current psychiatry reports · 2020Review
- Comorbid psychiatric disorders among patients with narcolepsy.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeNarcolepsy is an uncommon neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and multiple other symptoms. Due to the under-recognition of narcolepsy symptoms, patients are often misdiagnosed. This study aimed to assess the types of specialties visited and the diagnoses received by Saudi patients prior to their narcolepsy diagnosis.
methodsThe study included 55 consecutive patients with type-1 and type-2 narcolepsy who attended the narcolepsy clinic between August 2017 and December 2017. Narcolepsy was diagnosed according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders-third edition criteria. We evaluated sociodemographic data, the specialties visited, and diagnoses and treatments received prior to visiting a sleep specialist.
resultsThe mean diagnostic delay was 9.1 ± 8.4 years (1-43 years). Multiple linear regression analysis identified early onset as the only predictor of a delayed diagnosis (β coefficient = - 0.262, p = 0.03). EDS was the main symptom that prompted patients to seek medical consultation, and only one patient had been (1.8%) referred with the diagnosis of narcolepsy. In the study group, 82% of the patients were misdiagnosed with a mental or neurological disorder or were thought to be afflicted by "envy," "evil eye," or "black magic" before receiving a correct diagnosis. No significant differences were detected between patients with narcolepsy type-1 and narcolepsy type-2.
conclusionsDelays in diagnosing narcolepsy remain a major problem for Saudi patients with this disorder. We found that Saudi patients with narcolepsy had visited several medical specialists and faith healers and were misdiagnosed prior to visiting a sleep specialist.
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