Restless legs syndrome (RLS) occurs in pediatric patients, including children and adolescents younger than 18 years. Managing RLS in this age group requires a tailored clinical approach, with iron status playing a central role in first-line decision-making.
This protocol applies to patients under 18 years of age who have a confirmed diagnosis of restless legs syndrome. The AASM provides specific guidance for this pediatric population, distinguishing management from adult-onset RLS.
The first-line approach for children with RLS involves evaluation of iron status, and oral iron supplementation may be considered for those whose iron parameters meet the specified criteria.
Clinically significant improvement in restless legs syndrome disease severity.
In children with RLS, the AASM suggests the use of ferrous sulfate over no ferrous sulfate in patients with appropriate iron status (see good practice statement for iron parameters) (conditional recommendation, very low certainty of evidence).
The TF identified 2 observational studies in which the pooled estimates demonstrated clinically significant improvement in disease severity with small effect size.
DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.11390
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