Data on Narcolepsy Discussed by Researchers at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (The prevalence, incidence, and impact of narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia in Taiwan: comparison between the National Health Insurance Research Claims Database and …): Nervous System Diseases and Conditions – Narcolepsy

2025 NOV 25 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Business Daily -- Investigators discuss new findings in Nervous System Diseases and Conditions - Narcolepsy. According to news originating from Taoyuan, Taiwan, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “We investigated the prevalence and incidence of narcolepsy (types 1 and 2) and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) in Taiwan using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), and compared disease impact with patients identified from a ‘gold-standard’ hospital database. This study employed retrospective cohort and cross-sectional designs to analyze data from the NHIRD and the hospital database cohort between 2009 and 2019.”

Financial support for this research came from Taiwan National Science and Technology Counsel.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, “Analyses comprised prevalence and incidence of narcolepsy and IH, with diagnoses validated against the hospital database, and comparison of demographics, prescriptions, comorbidities, healthcare utilization, and costs with a control cohort. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-squared test; continuous variables were assessed via analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis tests. From both databases, 24 317 patients were identified as having narcolepsy or IH. The diagnosed prevalence of narcolepsy was 9.98 per 100 000 individuals. Annual increases in prevalence and incidence were observed, particularly in young adults (aged 21-30 years). Patients with narcolepsy and IH exhibited higher rates of comorbidities and received more psychotropics compared with controls. However, fewer patients from the NHIRD received treatment for hypersomnolence than those from the hospital cohort. Healthcare utilization and costs were higher among patients with narcolepsy and IH compared with controls. Increased narcolepsy prevalence over time was observed, particularly among young adults, but the overall prevalence in Taiwan appears to be lower than in other countries, potentially indicating underdiagnosis or inadequate treatment.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “High comorbidity rates and healthcare utilization underscore the substantial disease impact in patients with central hypersomnia.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: The prevalence, incidence, and impact of narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia in Taiwan: comparison between the National Health Insurance Research Claims Database and a hospital cohort database. SLEEP, 2025;48(11). SLEEP can be contacted at: Oxford Univ Press Inc, Journals Dept, 2001 Evans Rd, Cary, NC 27513, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/; SLEEP - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1479-8425)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Wei-Chih Chin, Division of Psychiatry and Sleep Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Additional authors for this research include Yu-Shu Huang, I-Hang Chung, Tsun-Yi Roan, Chee-Jen Chang, Hsiao-Ting Juang, Shu-Chen Chang, Somraj Ghosh, Stephen Crawford and Huang-Li Lin.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsaf132. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

The publisher’s contact information for the journal SLEEP is: Oxford Univ Press Inc, Journals Dept, 2001 Evans Rd, Cary, NC 27513, USA.

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