What is Fatal familial insomnia?

What is Fatal familial insomnia?

A rare brain disease where the patient loses the ability to fall asleep. Prognosis is poor and the inability to sleep is ...more »

• Fatal familial insomnia: A very rare inherited brain disease that severely affects sleep and causes progressive deterioration of mental and movement functions.
• Fatal familial insomnia: An autosomal dominant disorder characterized by degeneration of the THALAMUS and progressive insomnia. It is caused by a mutation in the prion protein (PRIONS).
  Source - Diseases Database

Fatal familial insomnia is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Fatal familial insomnia, or a subtype of Fatal familial insomnia, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Fatal familial insomnia: Introduction

Types of Fatal familial insomnia:

Broader types of Fatal familial insomnia:

• Prion diseases
• Sleep disorders
• Brain conditions
• Genetic Disease
• Bizarre medical conditions
• Degenerative conditions
• Conditions involving a pathogen
• Nervous system conditions
• more types...»

How serious is Fatal familial insomnia?

Prognosis of Fatal familial insomnia: the condition is progressive and death usually occurs about 9 months from onset of symptoms
Complications of Fatal familial insomnia: see complications of Fatal familial insomnia

What causes Fatal familial insomnia?

Causes of Fatal familial insomnia: see causes of Fatal familial insomnia

What are the symptoms of Fatal familial insomnia?

Symptoms of Fatal familial insomnia: see symptoms of Fatal familial insomnia

Complications of Fatal familial insomnia: see complications of Fatal familial insomnia

Fatal familial insomnia: Testing

Diagnostic testing: see tests for Fatal familial insomnia.

Misdiagnosis: see misdiagnosis and Fatal familial insomnia.

How is it treated?

Doctors and Medical Specialists for Fatal familial insomnia: Infectious Disease Specialist, Neurologist ; see also doctors and medical specialists for Fatal familial insomnia.
Treatments for Fatal familial insomnia: see treatments for Fatal familial insomnia
Research for Fatal familial insomnia: see research for Fatal familial insomnia

Organs Affected by Fatal familial insomnia:

Organs and body systems related to Fatal familial insomnia include:

• Brain

Name and Aliases of Fatal familial insomnia

Main name of condition: Fatal familial insomnia

Class of Condition for Fatal familial insomnia: prion, genetic

FFI, insomnia [dysautonomia thalamic], Familial fatal insomnia, Insomnia familial fatal

Familial fatal insomnia, Insomnia familial fatal
Source - Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Fatal familial insomnia: Related Conditions

Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Fatal familial insomnia:

• Spongioform encephalopathy
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
• Chronic wasting disease
• Alper's syndrome
• Gerstmann- Straussler Scheinker syndrome

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