Mayo Clinic finds restless legs syndrome in children linked to family history, iron ...( d's lifestyle. If affects the quality ...),Health

d's lifestyle. "If affects the quality of life," he says. "They wake up frequently in the night. They wake up tired. They may also be inattentive during the day." The long-term outcome of childhood restless legs syndrome is not known, according to Dr. Kotagal, but it is treatable using medications that increase the levels of dopamine in the central nervous system. Dr. Kotagal notes that there is evidence that iron seems to be very important to the synthesis of dopamine in the body. He says that there is not yet sufficient evidence, however, that treatment with iron helps relieve restless legs syndrome in children.

Dr. Kotagal indicates that there may be connections between restless legs syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The treatments for both conditions address somewhat the same chemical imbalance, he notes.

"When we look at kids who have decreased attention span, over one-third of them will have sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome," he says. "We can say that it goes to further affirm the fact that inattentiveness is multifactorial -- due to depression, anxiety, stressors in the child's life, obstruction of breathing passageways, sleep apnea or restless legs. We need to look at all of these possibilities."

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Contact: Lisa Lucier
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic
28-Dec-2004

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