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Periodic limb movement disorder of sleep in children
Author(s) -
Crabtree Valerie Mclaughlin,
Ivanenko Anna,
O'Brien Louise Margaret,
Gozal David
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of sleep research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2869
pISSN - 0962-1105
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2869.2003.00332.x
Subject(s) - cohort , polysomnography , restless legs syndrome , medicine , sleep (system call) , movement assessment , psychiatry , pediatrics , physical therapy , psychology , motor skill , insomnia , electroencephalography , computer science , operating system
SUMMARY To characterize periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) in a cohort of prepubertal children we examined sleep‐related identifiable differences between children with PLMD and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), PLMD alone, and age‐matched controls. Children were selected from a chart review of all children referred to a pediatric sleep medicine center and from a community survey of 5–7‐year‐old‐children. Polysomnography (PSG) and parental report data from all children identified as having periodic limb movement index (PLMI) >5 were reviewed and compared with a cohort of age‐matched controls. A total of 8.4% of children in the clinic‐referred sample, and 11.9% of the children recruited from the community had PLMI >5. Of those, 44.4% were identified as having ADHD. Children with PLMD had significantly lower percentage of rapid eye movement (REM) than control children ( P < 0.001). Children in the PLMD/ADHD group had a significantly greater number of arousals associated with PLM (PLMa) than children with PLMD only ( P < 0.05). While a relationship between ADHD and PLMD was observed, it was weaker than previous reports (Chervin, R. D. et al. Sleep , 2002; 25: 213; Chervin, R. D. and Archbold, K. H. Sleep , 2001; 24: 313; Picchietti et al. J. Child Neurol. , 1999; 13: 588; Picchietti et al. Mov. Disord. , 1999; 14: 1000; Picchietti and Walters Sleep , 1999; 22: 297). Children in the PLMD/ADHD group were more likely to have PLMas than were children with PLMD only. We postulate that rather than a direct relationship between ADHD and PLMD, this link may be mediated by the presence of reduced REM sleep and more importantly by the sleep fragmentation associated with PLM‐induced arousals.