In Spain, fatal familial insomnia has claimed the lives of 35 people.
A resident of Spain, Antonio Lamelas, witnessed the passing of 35 family members who were diagnosed with insomnia by doctors. The story caught the attention of the publication El Periodico De España (EPE).
As Lamelas recounted, doctors diagnosed his relatives with fatal familial insomnia — a rare genetic disorder. Among those affected was his son Vicente. Initially, Vicente began to drag one leg while walking, and after some time, he lost basic skills such as the ability to swallow food and control his body. The issue is that a lack of sleep has a destructive impact on the brain, causing it to rapidly degenerate, the Spaniard added.
Neurologist Celia García Malo explained that this pathology does not cause the common insomnia faced by many people, but rather a complete inability to fall asleep due to the improper functioning of the thalamus — the center that regulates sleep and wake cycles. Typically, the disease begins between the ages of 30 and 60, and within a few months, it leads to death.
The doctor identified symptoms of the disease as memory problems, motor disorders, muscle twitches, visual hallucinations, and difficulty with eye movements. To date, there are no developed medications for the treatment of fatal familial insomnia, Malo added.
