Fatal familial insomnia
Other Names for this Disease
- Familial fatal insomnia
- Insomnia familial fatal
prion disease that affects the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Prion diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), are a group of rare neurodegenerative conditions that occur when abnormal proteins clump together and accumulate in the brain, leading to tissue damage. The first symptoms of FFI usually begin in mid-life and may include insomnia that worsens over time and vivid dreams when sleep is achieved. These symptoms may be followed by high blood pressure; episodes of hyperventilation; excessive tearing; and/or sexual and urinary tract dysfunction. As the disease progresses, most affected people develop ataxia. FFI usually leads to death within a few months to a few years. Genetic prion diseases are inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and may be caused by mutations in the PRNP gene. Treatment aims at alleviating symptoms when possible.Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is an inherited
Last updated: 12/16/2014
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- Prion Diseases. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. July 2011; http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/prion/Pages/default.aspx.
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- Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Fatal familial insomnia. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.
- The Merck Manual provides information on this condition for patients and caregivers.
- The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) collects and disseminates research information related to neurological disorders. Click on the link to view information on this topic.
- Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
- Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
- Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
- PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Fatal familial insomnia. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.