Periodic limb movement disorder of sleep in children.

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.