Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug 30;20(4):585-594.
doi: 10.1007/s41105-022-00406-4. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Prevalence, incidence, and medications of narcolepsy in Japan: a descriptive observational study using a health insurance claims database

Aya Imanishi  1 , Yuta Kamada  2 , Kai Shibata  2 , Yukinori Sakata  2 , Hiroaki Munakata  2 , Mika Ishii  2
Affiliations

Prevalence, incidence, and medications of narcolepsy in Japan: a descriptive observational study using a health insurance claims database

Aya Imanishi et al. Sleep Biol Rhythms. .

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to describe prevalence, incidence, and medications among patients who were diagnosed with narcolepsy in Japan using a claims database. Patients diagnosed with narcolepsy were identified from January 2010 to December 2019 using an employment-based health insurance claims database compiled by JMDC Inc. The prevalence and incidence of narcolepsy were estimated annually in the overall population and by age and sex among employees and their dependents aged < 75 years. Medications, examined for each quarter in the overall population, were modafinil, methylphenidate, pemoline, tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. We identified 1539 patients with narcolepsy. The overall annual prevalence increased from 5.7 to 18.5/100,000 persons in 2010 and 2019, respectively. Large increases were found from 2010 to 2019 in patients aged 20-29 years and 10-19 years, with the highest prevalence in 2019 (9.7-37.5/100,000 persons and 5.0-27.1/100,000 persons). The overall incidence slightly increased from 3.6 to 4.3/100,000 person-year from 2010 to 2019, and the highest incidence was found in patients aged 20-29 years and 10-19 years (5.8-11.3/100,000 person-year, and 3.8-7.4/100,000 person-year from 2010 to 2019, respectively). Methylphenidate and modafinil were commonly prescribed in 2010 (27.3-38.9% and 17.5-45.5%, respectively). Methylphenidate prescriptions declined during the 10 years, whereas modafinil prescriptions increased (15.6-17.1% and 43.8-45.8% in 2019, respectively). The estimated prevalence and incidence of narcolepsy appeared to increase from 2010 to 2019, especially in teenagers and 20-year olds.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41105-022-00406-4.

Keywords: Claims database; Incidence; Narcolepsy; Prevalence; Real-world; Stimulants.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestYK, KS, YS, HM, and MI are the employees of Eisai Co., Ltd. AI is a medical adviser for Eisai Co., Ltd.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Patient flow. ICD-10, The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision. Notes: Index date was defined as the date of the first narcolepsy diagnosis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Prevalence of narcolepsy a in the overall population and stratified by age from 2010 to 2019 and b by age and sex in 2019
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Incidence of narcolepsy a in the overall population and stratified by age from 2010 to 2019 and b by age and sex in 2019
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Medications prescribed to patients with narcolepsy from 2010 to 2019 in the overall population. Notes: 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters, respectively for each year
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Fromherz S, Mignot E. Narcolepsy research: past, present, and future perspectives. Arch Ital Biol. 2004;142:479–486. - PubMed
    1. Longstreth WT, Jr, Koepsell TD, Ton TG, et al. The epidemiology of narcolepsy. Sleep. 2007;30:13–26. doi: 10.1093/sleep/30.1.13. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barker EC, Flygare J, Paruthi S, et al. Living with narcolepsy: Current management strategies, future prospects, and overlooked real-life concerns. Nat Sci Sleep. 2020;12:453–466. doi: 10.2147/nss.S162762. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kryger MH, Walid R, Manfreda J. Diagnoses received by narcolepsy patients in the year prior to diagnosis by a sleep specialist. Sleep. 2002;25:36–41. doi: 10.1093/sleep/25.1.36. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Thorpy MJ, Hiller G. The medical and economic burden of narcolepsy: Implications for managed care. Am Health Drug Benefits. 2017;10:233–241. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources