Orexin testing, a diagnostic procedure requiring a lumbar puncture, can detect type 1 narcolepsy in conjunction with sleep studies like MSLT. Mayo Clinic has developed a widely clinically available test, reports Sleep Review.
Orexin testing, a diagnostic procedure requiring a lumbar puncture, can detect type 1 narcolepsy in conjunction with sleep studies like multiple sleep latency tests and polysomnography. As outlined by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, orexin deficiency as measured by cerebrospinal fluid’s orexin-A concentration levels, is a hallmark trait of the diagnostic criteria for type 1 narcolepsy.
The good news for patients today is that Mayo Clinic now offers orexin testing even for patients receiving care outside of its health system. Joshua Bornhorst, PhD, DABCC, FACB, co-director of clinical immunoassay and metals laboratories at Mayo Clinic, explains what this means for people with suspected narcolepsy.
Read more in Sleep Review.
