Fatal insomnia | |
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MRI of a person with FFI showing abnormal signals in the frontoparietal subcortical areas. MRA showed smaller distal branches of cerebral arteries. | |
Specialty | Psychiatry, sleep medicine |
Symptoms | Progressive trouble sleeping, mental health problems, poor coordination, weight loss, excessive sweating [1] |
Usual onset | 40–60 years [1] |
Types | Fatal familial insomnia, sporadic fatal insomnia [2] |
Causes | Genetic mutation, sporadic [3] |
Risk factors | Family history [3] |
Diagnostic method | Sleep study, PET scan, genetic testing [1] |
Differential diagnosis | Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington disease, dementia with Lewy bodies [3] |
Treatment | Supportive care [2] |
Prognosis | Life expectancy 7 months to 6 years [2] |
Frequency | Rare [3] |
Fatal insomnia is a rare disorder that results in trouble sleeping. [2] It typically start out gradually and worsen over time. [3] Other symptoms may include mental health problems, poor coordination, weight loss, and excessive sweating. [1] When people who are affected sleep they often have vivid dreams. [3] Death generally occurs in 6 to 36 months from the onset of symptoms. [1]
Fatal insomnia is a prion disease of the brain. [2] It is usually caused by a mutation to the protein PrPC. [2] The mutation is typically inherited from a parent in an autosomal dominant fashion, though may rarely occur as a new mutation. [1] The form due to an underlying mutation is known as fatal familial insomnia (FFI), though the disease may also occur randomly, known as sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI). [3] Diagnosis is based on a sleep study, PET scan, and genetic testing. [1]
Fatal insomnia has no known cure, with efforts directed at improving a person's symptoms. [1] [3] Fatal insomnia is rare. [3] Males and females are affected equally frequently. [3] Onset is typically between the ages of 40 and 60. [1] The first recorded case was an Italian man, who died in Venice in 1765. [4]
Fatal insomnia | |
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![]() | |
MRI of a person with FFI showing abnormal signals in the frontoparietal subcortical areas. MRA showed smaller distal branches of cerebral arteries. | |
Specialty | Psychiatry, sleep medicine |
Symptoms | Progressive trouble sleeping, mental health problems, poor coordination, weight loss, excessive sweating [1] |
Usual onset | 40–60 years [1] |
Types | Fatal familial insomnia, sporadic fatal insomnia [2] |
Causes | Genetic mutation, sporadic [3] |
Risk factors | Family history [3] |
Diagnostic method | Sleep study, PET scan, genetic testing [1] |
Differential diagnosis | Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington disease, dementia with Lewy bodies [3] |
Treatment | Supportive care [2] |
Prognosis | Life expectancy 7 months to 6 years [2] |
Frequency | Rare [3] |
Fatal insomnia is a rare disorder that results in trouble sleeping. [2] It typically start out gradually and worsen over time. [3] Other symptoms may include mental health problems, poor coordination, weight loss, and excessive sweating. [1] When people who are affected sleep they often have vivid dreams. [3] Death generally occurs in 6 to 36 months from the onset of symptoms. [1]
Fatal insomnia is a prion disease of the brain. [2] It is usually caused by a mutation to the protein PrPC. [2] The mutation is typically inherited from a parent in an autosomal dominant fashion, though may rarely occur as a new mutation. [1] The form due to an underlying mutation is known as fatal familial insomnia (FFI), though the disease may also occur randomly, known as sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI). [3] Diagnosis is based on a sleep study, PET scan, and genetic testing. [1]
Fatal insomnia has no known cure, with efforts directed at improving a person's symptoms. [1] [3] Fatal insomnia is rare. [3] Males and females are affected equally frequently. [3] Onset is typically between the ages of 40 and 60. [1] The first recorded case was an Italian man, who died in Venice in 1765. [4]