Prevalence and quality of life and sleep in children and adolescents with restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease

Abstract Objective To estimate the prevalence of restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/WED) and its impact on sleep and quality of life in children and adolescents. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Municipality of Cássia dos Coqueiros, Brazil. Participants included 383 children and adolescents 5−17 years of age. A comparison group was randomly matched by gender and age with the RLS/WED-affected individuals, pairing one by one. Results Interviews were conducted for 383 individuals by a neurologist experienced in sleep medicine. RLS/WED was diagnosed using the essential clinical criteria for definitive RLS/WED in children recommended by the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group. Sleep and quality of life were evaluated using the Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) and the Health-related Quality of Life Questionnaire─Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Comparisons were established with a group of randomly selected individuals without RLS/WED, matched by age and gender (control group). The prevalence of RLS/WED symptoms that manifested at least twice a week was 1.9%. The average age of children with RLS/WED was higher compared to the general population (11.5 ± 2.3 vs 9.9 ± 2.5, p < 0.005). A family history of RLS/WED was detected in 90.9% of the patients. The scores obtained by SBQ were higher (53.9 ± 9.4 vs 47.6 ± 10.9, p < 0.047), whereas the scores achieved by PedsQL were lower (69.8 ± 14.8 vs 81.9 ± 10.4, p < 0.003) in children with RLS/WED compared to controls. Conclusion The prevalence of RLS/WED symptoms manifested at least twice in the preceding week was 1.9% in children and adolescents. Worsened sleep and quality of life were observed in the study.