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Diagnostic criteria

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

There are two approaches to diagnosis:

  • both of the following:

  • almost daily daytime sleep episodes for 3 months
  • cataplexy

  • all four of the following:

  • excessive daytime sleepiness or sudden muscle weakness
  • any of:
    • sleep paralysis
    • hypnagogic hallucinations
    • automatic behaviour
    • disrupted nocturnal sleep episodes
  • any of the following polysomnographic features:
  • nocturnal sleep latency less than 10 min
    • nocturnal REM sleep latency less than 20 min
    • mean sleep latency less than 8 min on the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT)
    • two or more sleep onset REM periods during MSLT
  • exclusion of medical or psychiatric causation

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