Other Causes of Persistent Fatigue. A number of conditions can cause persistent fatigue and should be ruled out:
- Obstructive sleep apnea. This is a major sleep disorder that causes fatigue and afternoon sleepiness and must be ruled out before a diagnosis of narcolepsy can be established. (A person may also suffer sleep apnea and narcolepsy at the same time.)
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Head trauma
- Infectious mononucleosis
Swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, fatigue and headache are some of the symptoms of mononucleosis, which is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. It is generally self-limiting and most patients can recover in 4 to 6 weeks without medications.
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Hepatitis
- Atypical pneumonia, particularly those involving echoviruses
Other Causes of Sleep Paralysis. Sleep paralysis may be triggered by certain conditions, such as:
- Irregular sleep habits
- Sleep deprivation
- Shift work
- Jet lag
- Psychologic stress
These conditions may also worsen sleep paralysis in narcolepsy. Narcolepsy sleep paralysis usually occurs at the onset of sleep and is chronic.
Previous Section
