Association between irritable bowel syndrome and restless legs syndrome in the general population

Abstract

Summary This study aimed to explore the association between restless legs syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome in an epidemiological cohort. We included 3365 adults, of whom 1602 were female (age 52.5 ± 7.5 years), who had participated in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (2005–2006). The diagnosis of restless legs syndrome was based on the criteria proposed by the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group, and irritable bowel syndrome was defined according to the Rome II criteria. The prevalence of each condition was determined and their association was tested by logistic regression analysis. Age, sex, haemoglobin concentration, renal insufficiency, use of medications and depressive mood were all adjusted for. The prevalence of restless legs syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome was 4.5 and 11.1%, respectively. Irritable bowel syndrome was more prevalent in the group with restless legs syndrome (24.0 versus 10.5%, P < 0.001). Subjects with restless legs syndrome were older (54.2 ± 8.4 versus 52.4 ± 7.4, P = 0.006) and more depressive (26.7 versus 12.5%, P < 0.001), and were predominantly female (57.3 versus 47.2%, P = 0.015), had more frequent insomnia symptoms (44.0 versus 28.2%, P < 0.001), had lower haemoglobin concentration (13.7 ± 1.5 versus 14.1 ± 1.6 g dL−1P = 0.004) and higher highly sensitive C‐reactive protein (1.8 ± 5.1 versus 1.4 ± 2.9 mg dL−1, P = 0.08). The adjusted odds ratio of restless legs syndrome in relation to irritable bowel syndrome was 2.59 (1.74–3.85, P < 0.001). Irritable bowel syndrome appeared to be associated with restless legs syndrome independently from other major risk factors for restless legs syndrome. Searching for the mechanisms underlying this association is indicated.

Individuals with Restless Legs Syndrome Tend to have Severe Depressive Symptoms: Findings from a Community-Based Cohort Study

“…In the previous study, only the relationship between RLS and depressive symptoms was analyzed; however, no correlation between depression severity and RLS was reported. 9 12 25 In the present study, we found that among the patients with depression (based on BDI scores) in the RLS group, 97% of them had severe depression. This result, for the first time, indicates that severe depression is overwhelmingly frequent in patients with RLS.…”

“… 20 In the previous study performed on the same Korea cohort population as this present study, depressive mood was correlated with RLS. 25 However, that study focused on the association between RLS and irritable bowel syndrome. For a more in-depth discussion, it will be important to analyze the characteristic severity of depression in the RLS group and evaluate the clinical features of patients with RLS comorbid with depressive symptoms.…”

Use of antidepressants and risks of restless legs syndrome in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: A population-based cohort study

“…Additionally, we found that SSRIs use was associated with an increased risk of RLS in male IBS patients. Our results are consistent with previous studies showing an association between antidepressant use and significantly higher risk of RLS in IBS patients [6–8, 23]. However, these studies are small-scale, cross-sectional, or case-control studies.…”

“…A couple of studies have suggested that sleep disorders, particularly restless legs syndrome (RLS), are possible comorbidities in IBS patients [6, 7]. According to the previous studies, nearly 25%–30% of IBS patients experience RLS [6–8].…”

Prevalence, severity and associated factors of restless leg syndrome in inflammatory bowel disease patients

“…The severity index was also higher in IBD cases than in controls. These findings concur with a previous Korean study by Yun and his colleagues,[ 35 ] who reported RLS to be 2.59 times more common in IBD than in the non-IBD group (9.7% vs 3.8%; P < 0.001), However, the reported prevalence in our study is much higher than the Korean population, which could be related to the differences in the studied population and the diagnostic assessment criteria used. Furthermore, Weinstock et al .…”