The disease mainly affects the thalamus, region that is responsible for regulating sleep patterns and other essential functions.
Insomnia can become life threatening too. It is a well known fact that lack of sleep can inflict several harms on human body but lack of sleep or insomnia can even take your life. This rare genetic condition is called Fatal Familial Insomnia that causes progressively increasing insomnia, it worsens to the point that the suffering person can die.
How Can Insomnia Become Fatal?
Insomnia combines with Fatal Familial Insomnia when the sleep is persistently hindered and causes severe and progressive disruption in the brain’s function. The disease mainly affects the thalamus, region that is responsible for regulating sleep patterns and other essential functions. When the condition of the disease worsens, individuals experience a complete inability to sleep leading to extreme sleep deprivation.
A range of severe neurological symptoms including hallucinations and mental deterioration is triggered because of the continuous lack of sleep. In the end, brain’s inability to rest and repair itself takes toll on the body leading to the complete breakdown and exhaustion that eventually causes death.
Let’s look at the symptoms of Fatal Familial Insomnia!
Progressive Insomnia
The first symbol that insinuates the presence of the disease is the condition of progressive insomnia. This is the hallmark symptom. People with FFI experience a relentless inability to sleep, leading to severe sleep deprivation.
Hallucinations and Delirium
Hallucinations can make things worse, person with FFI may experience vivid hallucinations and confusion this can make the situation even more complicated.
Weight Loss
When the body is suffering from any kind of disease, its ability to maintain a healthy body weight is lost. Here, the significant weight loss occurs due to the body’s inability to regulate metabolism properly.
Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction
Disrupted sleep cycles and lack of sleep causes nervous system dysfunction. This can lead to fluctuations in blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature.
Motor Disturbances
Body keeps on lacking its ability to function and muscle stiffness, tremors, and uncoordinated movements might become common in the person’s body who is dealing with Fatal Familial Insomnia.
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Cognitive Decline
Over time, cognitive function deteriorates, leading to memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and even psychosis.
How Can It Be Diagnosed?
Clinical Assessment
Clinical Testing is of the methods by which FFI can be diagnosed. A thorough medical history and physical examination can help identify symptoms consistent with FFI.
Genetic Testing
A genetic test to identify the mutation in the PRNP gene confirms the diagnosis. This gene encodes the prion protein, and a specific mutation linked to FFI is responsible for the disorder.
What Are The Treatment Methods?
Looking at the severity of the disease, it can be concluded that FFI doesn’t have any particular treatment. There is no known cure for FFI, and treatments are primarily focused on managing symptoms and improving quality of life:
Symptom Management
Symptoms of FFI are huge enough to torment the person so managing the symptoms can help reducing the disease. Medications might be prescribed to manage specific symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, and pain.
Support And Care
Ensuring proper nutrition, hydration, and comfort becomes crucial as the disease progresses. It can help the person relax for some time.
Clinical Trials
Although there is no specific cure of this disease but still some experimental treatments and therapies might be considered, but their effectiveness remains uncertain.
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