The Frequency of Restless Legs Syndrome in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Its Related Factors

Abstract

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a type of sensory-motor disorder characterized by pain, discomfort, numbness and tingling. This study was conducted to compare the prevalence of RLS in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy controls. Eighty-four patients with MS were selected as the case group and 84 healthy volunteers with no underlying diseases as the controls. The data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, a scale about the disease details and a diagnostic questionnaire for RLS. A total of 45.8% of the MS patients and 22.9% of the healthy subjects had restless legs syndrome and a significant difference was observed between the two groups in this regard. In the study of RLS among MS patients, age correlated significantly with the incidence of this syndrome, and although the difference in the duration of disease was not significant, the mean duration of MS was higher in the patients with RLS. Among the MS patients with RLS, 26.31% had a family history of RLS. Also, the MS patients suffered from RLS approximately three times more than the healthy group.