Recently, Colombian television featured a 17-year-old young woman who could sleep for more than a month with virtually no interruptions! This has once again shed light on a rare disease:Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS).
The Colombian media Noticias Caracol published a report on October 23, 2019. It revealed the daily life of Sharik Tovar, a 17-year-old girl withKleine syndrome- Levin (SKL) . The first episode of long sleep linked to "Sleeping Beauty" syndrome appeared from the age of two in the young woman.
And while it can be difficult for the person affected, it turns out that Kleine-Levin syndrome is also difficult for their family. His mother said that during a 48-day sleep episode , Sharik had temporarily lost his memory. After another 22-day episode, the young woman was totally lost when she woke up. She didn't know where she was and didn't even recognize her mother. In 2017, we had already mentioned a similar case, namely that of an 18-month-old Russian girl. However, this case had at the time long questioned the scientific community before being associated with Kleine-Levin syndrome.
According to the portal of the French Association of Narcolepsy Cataplexy and Rare Hypersomnias (ANC), this neurological condition is very rare (1 to 5 cases per million). SKL mainly affects adolescents between the ages of 15 and 20 and mostly male subjects. Hypersomnia episodes happen more or less quickly and the individual then sleeps between 12 and 24 hours a day for several days in a row. Obviously, the case of the young Colombian is a rather extreme case.
In addition, hypersomnia can be associated with behavioral disorders and psychological disorders. Let us cite, for example, moments of bulimia or a hypersexuality sometimes uninhibited to the extreme in boys. There may also be excessive mood swings and behavior. Girls, for example, are much more prone to self-deprecation and suicidal thoughts.
Let's also mention the appearance of cognitive disorders such as temporary memory loss and difficulty concentrating. Patients who suffer from it can finally experience impressions of unreality of people or objects. In other words, it is as if they were living in a dream.
Here is the short report broadcast by Noticias Caracol:
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