{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]],"date-time":"2026-04-10T05:49:26Z","timestamp":1775800166125,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,2]],"date-time":"2025-05-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746144000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Italian Ministry of Health"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Sleep disorders (SDs) and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) have been reported with high prevalence in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), but data on Pediatric-Onset MS (POMS) are scarce. This study aims to assess the prevalence of SDs, particularly RLS, in a POMS cohort and examine associated clinical features. Methods: We recruited POMS patients who attended the POMS Center of the Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital between September 2021 and February 2023; they were evaluated for SDs using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) or the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) and screened for RLS. Correlations with demographical, clinical, neuroradiological, and laboratory findings were analyzed. Results: We recruited 44 POMS patients, of whom 39% were classified as \u201cgood sleepers\u201d and 61% were identified as \u201cpoor sleepers.\u201d RLS was diagnosed in 10 patients (22.7%). Those with RLS were older and had higher Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores compared to non-RLS patients (p = 0.028; p = 0.03). The presence of RLS did not show any significant correlation with MRI lesion load or laboratory data. Conclusions: Our findings suggest an increased rate of SDs and RLS in pediatric MS patients compared to the general pediatric population. Clinical data could support a secondary form of RLS in this population, but results need further confirmation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14093157","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,2]],"date-time":"2025-05-02T07:44:23Z","timestamp":1746171863000},"page":"3157","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Sleep Disorders in a Sample of Patients with Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis: Focus on Restless Legs Syndrome"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Elena","family":"Panella","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Systems Medicine Department, Tor Vergata University of Rome, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3336-9205","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura","family":"Papetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Developmental Neurology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7312-2768","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martina","family":"Proietti Checchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Developmental Neurology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Samuela","family":"Tarantino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Developmental Neurology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michela Ada Noris","family":"Ferilli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Developmental Neurology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gabriele","family":"Monte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Developmental Neurology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6952-8300","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandra","family":"Voci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Developmental Neurology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Claudia","family":"Ruscitto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Developmental Neurology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Luigi","family":"Mazzone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Systems Medicine Department, Tor Vergata University of Rome, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6602-103X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Massimiliano","family":"Valeriani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Systems Medicine Department, Tor Vergata University of Rome, 00133 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Developmental Neurology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Translational Pain Neuroscience and Precision Medicine, Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain, Department of Health Science and Technology, School of Medicine, Aalborg University, 9220 Alborg, Denmark"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6200-060X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Romina","family":"Moavero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Systems Medicine Department, Tor Vergata University of Rome, 00133 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Developmental Neurology Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1336","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(16)30959-X","article-title":"Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis: Progress and challenges","volume":"389","author":"Brownlee","year":"2017","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"936","DOI":"10.1016\/S1474-4422(14)70093-6","article-title":"Multiple sclerosis in children: An update on clinical diagnosis, therapeutic strategies, and research","volume":"13","author":"Waldman","year":"2014","journal-title":"Lancet Neurol."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Oliva Ramirez, A., Keenan, A., Kalau, O., Worthington, E., Cohen, L., and Singh, S. 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