A case of REM sleep behavior disorder, narcolepsy-cataplexy, parkinsonism, and rheumatoid arthritis

Behav Neurol. 2014:2014:572931. doi: 10.1155/2014/572931. Epub 2014 Feb 18.

Abstract

A patient is reported in whom signs and symptoms of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and narcolepsy have been associated for almost two decades with a late development of parkinsonism and rheumatoid arthritis. A 78-year-old male patient in whom RBD was first diagnosed was followed-up by clinical examination, video-polysomnography, multiple sleep latency test, cerebral magnetic resonance imaging, and dopamine transporter imaging by single-photon emission computerized tomography. The patient was found to present for almost two decades, in addition to RBD, also narcolepsy. Moreover, a late development of parkinsonism and the occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis were detected and clinically and instrumentally characterized. Patients predisposed to RBD and later parkinsonism might be susceptible to a variety of triggers that, in our patient, might have been represented by a possible latent autoimmune process leading to the development of narcolepsy with cataplexy and rheumatoid arthritis, later.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / complications*
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / pathology
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Narcolepsy / complications*
  • Narcolepsy / pathology
  • Narcolepsy / physiopathology
  • Parkinsonian Disorders / complications*
  • Parkinsonian Disorders / pathology
  • Parkinsonian Disorders / physiopathology
  • Polysomnography
  • REM Sleep Behavior Disorder / complications*
  • REM Sleep Behavior Disorder / pathology
  • REM Sleep Behavior Disorder / physiopathology