Restless Leg Syndrome in Children

Nearly 2 percent of U.S. and British children age 8 to 17 experience restless legs syndrome resulting in sleep disturbance and negative moods.

This study suggests that restless legs syndrome is common and troublesome in children and adolescents, occurring more frequently than diabetes and epilepsy, principal investigator Daniel Picchietti of the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Urbana, Ill., said in a statement.

Many adults diagnosed with restless legs syndrome report that their symptoms began in childhood, Picchietti said. Picchietti said he began to notice in the early 1990s that some children who came to his office because they had trouble sleeping or paying attention in school had symptoms of restless legs syndrome, but there was scant research on the prevalence of restless legs syndrome in children.

While some children with restless legs syndrome had significant sleep disturbance and daytime symptoms, others did not, Picchietti said. Which children would benefit from treatment and what those treatments should be are important issues to be addressed. Much more study is needed.

The findings are published in the journal Pediatrics.