Endocrine and metabolic aspects of narcolepsy type 1 in children

Abstract Study objectives To study whether the onset of narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) in children and adolescents affects BMI, specific metabolic risk factors, the onset of puberty, longitudinal growth or other endocrine functions. Methods A population-based study, comprising 34 patients, was performed with a clinical evaluation, an assessment of puberty and growth, actigraphy and blood samples at fasting, from patients and controls, to evaluate pituitary function, growth factors, thyroid gland, gonads, insulin sensitivity, appetite regulation and blood lipids. Results In the post-H1N1 vaccination (PHV) narcolepsy group, the median BMI SDS was higher 6–12 months after the onset of narcolepsy (p  Conclusions We found a high prevalence of large BMI gain in the period immediately after the onset of narcolepsy, which had almost normalized at the long-term follow-up. The onset of narcolepsy led to early puberty in both sexes. Linear growth was not affected. We did not find any strong indicators of metabolic disturbances.