Clinical presentation of restless legs syndrome: Does the gender matter?

Abstract

This study was conducted to find out whether higher prevalence of females among restless legs syndrome (RLS) patients in a clinical setting is related to clinical presentation and co-morbid conditions. A total of 173 consecutive patients with idiopathic RLS were included in this study after obtaining permission from the institutional ethics committee. Their demographic data, history of RLS, associated sleep problems and family history were gathered. Severity of RLS was also measured with the help of IRLS. Results have shown that out of 173 subjects, 29.6% were males. Male subjects in this study were nearly 4 years older than females (P = 0.04). Symptoms were experienced in both legs in all subjects except 3% of females who reported involvement of one leg. Some of the patients reported symptoms in other parts of body as well! 27.5% of males and 33.6% of females reported involvement of other parts of body in addition to the legs (χ 2 = 0.62; P = 0.27). Explanations of sensory symptoms e.g., "tingling", "restlessness", "tickling" were two times more common in females while males reported "pricking", "just pain" and "stretching" twice as commonly as females. Severity of RLS did not differ between groups (χ 2 = 1.51; P = 0.67). Similarly, sleep problems were comparable across genders (88.2% males vs. 93.4% females; χ 2 = 1.31; P = 0.25). Family history was comparable across genders. In conclusion, clinical presentation of RLS did not differ across genders. The observed female predominance in the RLS is not related to clinical presentation.

Novel Exercises for Restless Legs Syndrome: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

“…It is unlikely these differences affected RLS scores, as no evidence indicates gender-specific differences in clinical presentation of RLS. 45 Based on outcome measurements, there appeared to be a lot of variability in the presentation of RLS, and this should be considered in addition to effect sizes when considering sample size estimates. A SD of 5.85 for IRLS scores was used in the power estimates, and the baseline SD in our combined sample was 5.95, suggesting that this was a reasonable parameter for sample size estimation.…”

Why Are Women Prone to Restless Legs Syndrome?

“…There is an established scale that measures symptom severity [7]. While more women than men show symptoms of RLS, the clinical presentation is identical in the two sexes [8]. Approximately 80% of RLS patients also suffer from the presence of involuntary periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) that interrupt sleep and are diagnosable by polysomnography.…”

Prevalence and clinical correlates of restless legs syndrome in psychiatric patients: A cross-sectional study from North India

“…The higher preponderance of RLS in female subjects as found in the index study is in keeping with many previous studies. [ 33 34 35 36 ] Apart from the genetic factors, it has been hypothesized that the increased levels of estrogen in women, especially during pregnancy, has a role to play in causation of RLS. Also, iron deficiency observed during pregnancy is associated with higher risk of RLS.…”