Somatic and neuropsychiatric comorbidities in pediatric restless legs syndrome: A systematic review of the literature

Marco Angriman; Samuele Cortese; Oliviero Bruni

doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2016.06.008

Somatic and neuropsychiatric comorbidities in pediatric restless legs syndrome: A systematic review of the literature

Sleep Med Rev. 2017 Aug:34:34-45. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2016.06.008. Epub 2016 Jul 1.

Authors

Marco Angriman¹, Samuele Cortese², Oliviero Bruni³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Child Neurology and Neurorehabilitation Unit, Hospital of Bolzano, Bohler Street 5, 39100 Bolzano, Italy. Electronic address: marco.angriman@gmail.com.
² Academic Unit of Psychology, Developmental Brain-Behaviour Laboratory, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; Clinical and Experimental Sciences (CNS and Psychiatry), Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK; The Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, 577 First Avenue, 10016 New York, NY, USA; IRCCS Stella Maris, Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Viale del Tirreno, 331, 56018 Calambrone, Calambrone, Italy. Electronic address: samuele.cortese@gmail.com.
³ Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: oliviero.bruni@uniroma1.it.

PMID: 27519964
DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2016.06.008

Abstract

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a relatively common neurological disorder in childhood, although it is usually overlooked due to the atypical presentation in children and associated comorbid conditions that may affect its clinical presentation. Here, we aimed to perform, for the first time, a systematic review of studies reporting the association between RLS in children and adolescents (<18 y) and somatic or neuropsychiatric conditions. We searched for peer-reviewed studies in PubMed, Ovid (including PsycINFO, Ovid MEDLINE^®, and Embase), Web of Knowledge (Web of Science, Biological abstracts, BIOSIS, FSTA) through November 2015, with no language restrictions. We found 42 pertinent studies. Based on the retrieved studies, we discuss the association between RLS and a number of conditions, including growing pains, kidney disease, migraine, diabetes, epilepsy, rheumatologic disorders, cardiovascular disease, liver and gastrointestinal disorders, and neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and conduct disorder). Our systematic review provides empirical evidence supporting the notion that RLS in children is comorbid with a number of somatic and neuropsychiatric conditions. We posit that the awareness on comorbid diseases/disorders is pivotal to improve the diagnosis and management of RLS and might suggest fruitful avenues to elucidate the pathophysiology of RLS in children.

Keywords: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); Children; Diabetes mellitus; Fibromyalgia; Growing pains; Kidney diseases; Liver diseases; Neurodevelopmental disabilities; Periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS); Restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Publication types

Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
Child
Comorbidity*
Early Diagnosis
Humans
Nocturnal Myoclonus Syndrome* / complications
Nocturnal Myoclonus Syndrome* / physiopathology
Polysomnography
Restless Legs Syndrome* / complications
Restless Legs Syndrome* / physiopathology