Sleep disorders: Kleine-Levin syndrome: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Sleep disorders: Kleine-Levin syndrome

Sample item

A 16-year-old boy has recurrent episodes lasting days in which he sleeps 18 hours daily, eats voraciously and is irritable, apathetic and sexually disinhibited, and is normal between episodes. The diagnosis is

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Kleine-Levin syndrome

Kleine-Levin syndrome is a rare recurrent hypersomnia of adolescent males with hyperphagia, hypersexuality, cognitive disturbance and derealisation during episodes, with normal functioning between. It usually remits with age. Lithium has been tried.

Option by option

  • A. Delayed sleep phase disorder

    Delayed sleep phase disorder is a late circadian shift, not episodic hypersomnia.

  • B. Narcolepsy type 1

    Narcolepsy gives daily sleep attacks, cataplexy and hallucinations.

  • C. Klinefelter syndrome

    Klinefelter syndrome is a chromosomal disorder unrelated to this picture.

  • D. Kleine-Levin syndrome (correct)

    Correct. Recurrent hypersomnia with hyperphagia in a teen boy is Kleine-Levin.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is D, Kleine-Levin syndrome. Kleine-Levin syndrome is a rare recurrent hypersomnia of adolescent males with hyperphagia, hypersexuality, cognitive disturbance and derealisation during episodes, with normal functioning between.

Why is "Delayed sleep phase disorder" not the answer?

Delayed sleep phase disorder is a late circadian shift, not episodic hypersomnia.

Why is "Narcolepsy type 1" not the answer?

Narcolepsy gives daily sleep attacks, cataplexy and hallucinations.

Why is "Klinefelter syndrome" not the answer?

Klinefelter syndrome is a chromosomal disorder unrelated to this picture.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Sleep disorders: Kleine-Levin syndrome in Psychiatry. It usually remits with age. Lithium has been tried.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Sleep disorders: Kleine-Levin syndrome?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.