THE ULLANLINNA-NARCOLEPSY-SCALE - VALIDATION OF A MEASURE OF SYMPTOMSIN THE NARCOLEPTIC SYNDROME

The Ullanlinna Narcolepsy Scale (UNS) is a simple questionnaire-based method used to measure the symptoms of the narcoleptic syndrome. The 1 1-item scale (range 0-44) assesses the two main features of the narcol eptic syndrome, the abnormal sleeping tendency and cataplexy. The UNS sum score reliably distinguishes patients with the narcoleptic syndrom e from patients with sleep apnoea, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy. T he mean score in patients with the narcoleptic syndrome was 27.3 (95% confidence limits 24.4-33.1); the sleep apnoea group with a mean score of 9.6 (95% confidence limits 7.2-12.0) came closest to this. Validat ion data were also selected from a large survey of non-institutionaliz ed adults in Finland including groups with insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep deprivation, sciatica, alcohol abuse, and high scor es on a depression scale and on a scale of neurovegetative symptoms. W ith the lowest UNS score in the narcoleptic syndrome group (= 14) as t he cutpoint, the sensitivity is 100% and the specificity is 98.8% in t he subjects studied. The accurate assessment of the symptoms of the na rcoleptic syndrome in a format suitable for questionnaire studies is e ssential.