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Parasomnias of childhood

Suresh Kotagal1

  • 1Division of Child Neurology and the Center for Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA. kotagal.suresh@mayo.edu

Current Opinion in Pediatrics
|November 14, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric parasomnias, like sleepwalking and night terrors, are common in children. While often diagnosed by history, some cases may need further testing for proper management.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Neurology
  • Child Psychiatry

Background:

  • Parasomnias are prevalent in children, affecting over 80% of preschoolers.
  • Sleepwalking, sleep terrors, and confusional arousals may stem from sleep continuity regulation instability.
  • Nocturnal groaning (catathrenia) often begins in childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To improve practitioner diagnosis and management of childhood parasomnias in clinical settings.
  • To provide an overview of common parasomnias encountered in pediatric practice.
  • To aid in differentiating parasomnias from seizures.

Main Methods:

  • Review of common childhood parasomnias, including hypnic starts, rhythmic movement disorder, sleep paralysis, confusional arousals, sleepwalking, sleep terrors, enuresis, and nightmares.
  • Discussion of diagnostic approaches, including historical assessment and nocturnal polysomnography.
  • Examination of potential triggers and genetic predispositions.

Main Results:

  • Most parasomnias are identifiable through patient history.
  • Nocturnal polysomnography findings are detailed for complex cases.
  • Sleep terrors, confusional arousals, and sleepwalking can mimic seizures, necessitating careful differentiation.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood parasomnias frequently cause parental concern.
  • Behavioral therapies are discussed for management, though evidence-based guidelines are limited.
  • Sleep enuresis management remains a significant clinical challenge.
Abstract

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