Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Italy.
Developmental Neurology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
J Clin Sleep Med. 2024 Mar 1;20(3):427-432. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.10902.
Sleep disorders are a frequent comorbidity among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Among sleep-related issues of ASD, restless sleep is a common complaint. In recent years, restless sleep disorder (RSD) has been proposed as a new clinical entity, characterized by agitated sleep as its predominant manifestation. Despite the high prevalence of sleep disorders and data reporting restless sleep among ASD patients, to date no study has yet characterized RSD within patients with ASD. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the occurrence of RSD in a sample of children and adolescents with ASD through clinical and polysomnographic assessment.
Children and adolescents with ASD ages 6-18 years were recruited for the study. Through parental interviews, patients with a suspected RSD were selected and offered diagnostic investigation by video-polysomnography and blood tests to assess martial balance.
Among the 129 participants included, 16 patients (12.4%) were found to have a suspected RSD. Only 6 (4.7%) underwent video-polysomnography due to lack of compliance or family refusal. In 6/6 participants examined, the disorder was confirmed by video-polysomnography movement analysis (total movement index ≥ 5 events/h) and ferritin values were found in the normal range.
RSD does not appear to be particularly frequent among patients with ASD and that of iron metabolism may not be the main factor implicated in the pathogenesis of RSD within this population. Additional evaluation is needed to confirm the result and further investigate the etiological mechanisms underlying the disorder.
Voci A, Mazzone L, De Stefano D, Valeriani M, Bruni O, Moavero R. Restless sleep disorder in a sample of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: preliminary results from a case series. . 2024;20(3):427-432.
睡眠障碍是自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童常见的合并症。在与 ASD 相关的睡眠问题中，不安宁的睡眠是常见的抱怨。近年来，不安宁睡眠障碍（RSD）已被提出作为一种新的临床实体，其主要表现为躁动性睡眠。尽管睡眠障碍的患病率很高，并且有数据报告 ASD 患者存在不安宁的睡眠，但迄今为止，尚无研究在 ASD 患者中对 RSD 进行特征描述。因此，我们的研究旨在通过临床和多导睡眠图评估来评估 ASD 患儿中 RSD 的发生情况。
招募了年龄在 6-18 岁的 ASD 儿童和青少年参加研究。通过对父母进行访谈，选择疑似 RSD 的患者，并提供视频多导睡眠图和血液检查以评估铁代谢平衡的诊断性检查。
在 129 名参与者中，发现 16 名患者（12.4%）疑似患有 RSD。由于缺乏依从性或家庭拒绝，仅有 6 名（4.7%）患者接受了视频多导睡眠图检查。在接受检查的 6/6 名患者中，通过视频多导睡眠图运动分析（总运动指数≥5 次/小时）证实了该疾病，且铁蛋白值在正常范围内。
RSD 在 ASD 患者中似乎并不特别常见，并且铁代谢异常可能不是该人群中 RSD 发病机制的主要因素。需要进一步评估以确认结果，并进一步研究该疾病的发病机制。
Voci A, Mazzone L, De Stefano D, Valeriani M, Bruni O, Moavero R. 在自闭症谱系障碍儿童和青少年样本中不安宁睡眠障碍：病例系列的初步结果。睡眠医学。2024;20(3):427-432.
