[Wakefulness-promoting agents for severe fatigue: to use or not to use?].

About 20% of adults experience excessive daytime sleepiness or severe fatigue. Causes include somatic conditions, psychiatric disorders, and medication or drug use. Treatment depends on the underlying cause.

[Diagnosing and treating sleep for the general practitioner].

Sleep disorders are prevalent and have large impact on well-being and functioning. Based on the presenting symptoms, the general practitioner can often diagnose and treat uncomplicated sleep disorders. An overview of the most common sleeping complaints, underlying diagnoses and useful treatments is given.

Performance and Self-reported Functioning of People With Chronic Idiopathic Axonal Polyneuropathy: A 4-Year Follow-up Study.

Objective: To describe the course of performance of activities (observed and self-reported) of people with chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP) over 4 years and to assess the associations with muscle strength, sensory function, and psychological personal factors (intention, perceived behavior control [PBC], and feelings of depression or anxiety).

Design: Prospective observational study with measurement at baseline, 6 months, 1 year, and 4 years.

Setting: Outpatient neurology clinic.

In situ decompression vs conservative treatment for mild ulnar neuropathy at the elbow.

Introduction: The best treatment strategy for mild ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE) is not known, due to lack of trials comparing surgery vs conservative treatment.

Methods: We recruited patients with clinical symptoms and signs of mild UNE and an electrophysiologically or sonographically confirmed diagnosis. Patients were randomly allocated to either in situ decompression or conservative treatment.

[Obstructive sleep apnoea].

Obstructive sleep apnoea Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a complex condition with many different phenotypes. Historically, OSA has been defined using the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI). However, because there is no clear relationship between the AHI and the severity of symptoms and comorbidities the degree of hypoxia is increasingly being used to define OSA severity.

Validity of the shuttle walk test as a functional assessment of walking ability in individuals with polyneuropathy.

Purpose: This study assessed the validity of the shuttle walk test (SWT) to evaluate walking ability in patients with polyneuropathy.

Methods: Forty-one patients with chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP) and 49 patients with multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) performed both the 10-meter walk test (10MWT) and the SWT. Face validity was assessed by evaluating whether patients considered both tests to reflect their walking ability (Likert scale: 1 = not at all, 10 = very well).

[Hypersomnia: a diagnostic problem].

Hypersomnia is a frequently occurring problem. When taking a medical history it is important to distinguish between fatigue and sleepiness. We present a 14-year-old girl with narcolepsy and a 59-year-old man with idiopathic hypersomnia.

Pain in patients with chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy.

Background/aims: Pain in patients with chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP) has never been studied in detail. The aim of the study was to investigate the pain experienced by patients with CIAP, and to determine whether pain is associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and the RAND-36 were used in a cross-sectional study.

Functioning of patients with chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP).

Although patients with Chronic Idiopathic Axonal Polyneuropathy (CIAP) report a slow deterioration of sensory and motor functions, the impact of this deterioration on daily functioning has not yet been investigated in detail. The first aim of this cross-sectional study involving 56 patients with CIAP was, therefore, to assess patients' functioning with use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The second aim was to find determinants of walking ability, dexterity, and autonomy.

Disease course of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2: a 5-year follow-up study.

Background: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) type 2 is the axonal variant of an inherited, sensorimotor polyneuropathy. To our knowledge, the clinical course of CMT type 2 has never been prospectively studied in a large group of patients.

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the disease course of patients with CMT type 2.

Chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy and successful aging of the peripheral nervous system in elderly people.

Background: Chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP) is a frequent neurologic disorder in elderly persons. In view of the aging population, it is important to know the long-term prognosis of CIAP.

Objectives: To determine if CIAP is influenced by the superposition of the effects of aging and to evaluate the severity of CIAP according to the disease duration.