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Medico-Legal Aspects of Disability in Narcolepsy

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Narcolepsy

Abstract

Narcolepsy is a severe, chronic, disabling disease affecting almost all personal and social activities. The detrimental effect of narcolepsy on patients’ working lives may be severe and long-lasting, but the impairment due to narcolepsy varies widely. Disability assessment is complex because of the lack of objective measures to assess and quantify excessive daytime sleepiness, which is considered to be the main disabling symptom of narcolepsy.

This chapter considers the medical aspects of work disability in narcolepsy, and the essential issues clinicians and researchers have to address in providing medical information to assist determination of disability in people with narcolepsy. In conclusion, a work disability classification of narcolepsy is proposed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Francesca Ingravallo, Section of Legal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Public Health, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Francesca Ingravallo

Authors
  1. Francesca Ingravallo
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  2. Giuseppe Plazzi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francesca Ingravallo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Narcolepsy Institute, Montefiore Medical Center, East 210 Street 111, Bronx, 10467, U.S.A.

    Meeta Goswami

  2. Dept. Pharmacology, Columbia University, West 168th St. 630, New York, 10032, U.S.A.

    S. R. Pandi-Perumal

  3. Sleep-Wake Disorders Center, Montefiore Hospital, East 210th Street 111, Bronx, 10467, U.S.A.

    Michael J. Thorpy

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Ingravallo, F., Plazzi, G. (2010). Medico-Legal Aspects of Disability in Narcolepsy. In: Goswami, M., Pandi-Perumal, S., Thorpy, M. (eds) Narcolepsy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0854-4_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0854-4_21

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-0854-4

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