Clinical Approach Hypersomnia of Central Origin and Differential Diagnosis

Abstract

Hypersomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness are commonly encountered by physicians dealing with sleep medicine. Although these are common symptoms associated with sleep disorders, they can be ignored. The tendency of excessive daytime sleepiness, which might be caused by sleep deprivation that continues for a while in our society, makes it difficult to diagnose diseases with hypersomnia. Hypersomnia is used as a comprehensive definition for excessive daytime sleepiness and/or excessive need for sleep or increased amount of sleep. Clinically, it presents with prolonged sleep times at night, falling asleep easily and everywhere, recurrent sleep attacks, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Hypersomnia can be either a symptom of neurological and metabolic diseases, especially sleep disorders, or develop due to substance, drug use, and trauma. Sleep attacks occurring during the day can affect individuals’ academic or professional performance, disrupt their cognitive functions and social relations, and cause life-threatening traffic or work accidents. It is crucial to examine this symptom, which causes a significant deterioration in the quality of life of people, and to diagnose and treat the diseases causing it. This review article plans to address the epidemiological, pathophysiological, clinical aspects of sleep disorders that cause hypersomnia, treatment and emphasize the critical points in the differential diagnosis.

Keywords

• hypersomnia
• excessive daytime sleepiness
• clinic
• diagnosis