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Sleep disturbances in children and adolescents with iron deficiency: Questionnaire-based and actigraphic findings.

Maria Ausilia Musumeci·Valentina Baglioni·Michela Ribersani·Raffaele Ferri·Oliviero Bruni
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Iron deficiency (ID), without or with anemia (IDA), has been linked to restless sleep and sleep-related movement disorders in childhood, but objective correlates are incompletely defined. We aimed to describe caregiver-reported sleep disturbances, restless legs syndrome (RLS) - related symptoms, and actigraphic sleep patterns in children and adolescents with ID/IDA, and to compare these findings with available sleep-asymptomatic control datasets. We finally explored short-term changes after iron supplementation. METHODS: In this single-center pilot observational study, 31 children with ID/IDA underwent baseline clinical/laboratory assessment and caregiver-reported sleep evaluation with the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) plus RLS-oriented items. Sixteen also completed home actigraphy, and 8 had follow-up after iron treatment prescribed in routine care. Baseline findings were compared with historical healthy control datasets without reported sleep disturbances; iron-status data were not available for the questionnaire control group; within-subject changes were explored in the follow-up subgroup. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, the ID/IDA cohort had higher SDSC total scores (43.97&#x202f;&#xb1;&#x202f;9.63 vs 34.61&#x202f;&#xb1;&#x202f;7.50; p&#x202f;<&#x202f;0.001), with significant differences in the subscales difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS), sleep-wake transition disorders (SWTD), and sleep hyperhidrosis (SHY). Ten of 31 screened children (32.25%) had clinically plausible RLS-related symptoms and higher SWTD scores. Actigraphy showed shorter sleep duration, lower sleep efficiency, longer wake after sleep onset, and greater fragmentation. After iron treatment, parent reported restlessness improved, whereas actigraphic parameters showed only partial normalization. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric ID/IDA was associated with caregiver-reported and actigraphic sleep disruption, characterized by restless and fragmented sleep. These findings support systematic sleep assessment in children with low iron stores and consideration of iron status in the work-up of restless or nonrestorative sleep.

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HumansActigraphyFemaleChildMaleAdolescentSleep Wake DisordersRestless Legs SyndromeSurveys and QuestionnairesAnemia, Iron-DeficiencyPilot ProjectsIron DeficienciesSleep DurationIron deficiencyIron deficiency anemiaPediatric restless legs syndromeRestless sleepSleep disturbanceJournal ArticleObservational Study

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Maria Ausilia Musumeci, Valentina Baglioni, Michela Ribersani, Raffaele Ferri, Oliviero Bruni. 2026-07-14. Sleep disturbances in children and adolescents with iron deficiency: Questionnaire-based and actigraphic findings.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2026.109131

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Adolescent subjectAnemia, Iron-Deficiency subjectChild subjectFemale subjectHumans subjectJournal Article subjectJournal Article; Observational Study resourceMale subjectObservational Study subject

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