Prevalence and Risk Factors of Restless Legs Syndrome among Chinese Adults in a Rural Community of Shanghai in China

Abstract

AimsThe primary objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in an adult Chinese population living in a rural community. We also aimed to determine the predictive diagnostic value of the 4-item screening questionnaire for RLS in this population.MethodsThis study was designed as a 2-phase survey. In phase 1 we performed a face-to-face interview of eligible individuals living in a rural community in Shanghai using a 4-item screening questionnaire. In phase 2, sleep specialists performed a phone interview of the individuals who screened positive to diagnosis RLS.ResultsForty-one RLS cases were confirmed among 2941 eligible individuals 18 years of age or older in the study community. The prevalence of RLS was 1.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) =1.0-1.9%), with a significantly higher rate observed in females (1.9% [95%CI =1.3-2.7%]) than that in males (0.9% [95%CI =0.5-1.5%], p=0.019). The prevalence rate increased significantly with age, from 0.2% (95% CI =0.08-0.6%) in those 18-39 years old to 4.1% (95% CI =2.1-7.9%) in those ≥70 years old (p<0.001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that gastritis, anemia and hypertension were risk factors for RLS. The sensitivity and specificity of the 4-item screening questionnaire used in this study were 63.4% and 97.5%, respectively.ConclusionRLS prevalence is relatively low among Chinese adults living in rural Shanghai. Furthermore, population-based studies with a larger sample size and a longitudinal follow-up may help to determine the risk factors of RLS and potential interventions for RLS.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Restless Legs Syndrome in Korean Adults: A Study in Two Independent Samples of the General Population

“…An attempt at a differential diagnosis may exclude RLS mimics and affect epidemiological study results. Our results suggest that a questionnaire with a differential diagnosis demonstrates an equivalent prevalence to that of neurological examinations with differential diagnoses [15][16][17][18], which supports the use of the CH-RLSq in accordance with the 2012 revised IRLSSG criteria. Next, the 2012 revised IRLSSG criteria proposed that a frequency cutoff be used as a specifier for the clinical course and that the symptom severity be used as a specifier for clinical significance.…”

“…The 8 studies from other Asian countries that included differential diagnosis assessments by a neurological exam or interview also reported a relatively low prevalence, with a range of 0.7-5.2% [15][16][17][18][48][49][50][51]. More than half (6 of 10) of the studies that employed faceto-face or telephone interviews with set-of-symptoms criteria also showed a generally low prevalence (0.1-5.5%) [12-14, 40, 42, 45].…”

“…As such, RLS occurs more frequently in Caucasian than in Asian or African ethnic groups [8][9][10][11]. The reported prevalence of RLS ranges from 3 to 25% in Europe [9], and the prevalence is generally low (< 2%) in Asian countries including Singapore, Taiwan, China, and Japan [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. However, in most epidemiologic studies on Korean adults, the RLS prevalence is relatively high (4.5-12.1%) [19][20][21][22][23][24][25].…”

New concepts in the management of restless legs syndrome

“…16 17 Race/ethnicity, sex, and age Few studies have examined the prevalence RLS/WED by race/ethnicity within the same population, and noncomparison reports have suggested that the proportion of people with RLS/WED, especially those experiencing symptoms at least once a month, is higher among white people than in other populations. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] In adults over the age of 35, RLS/WED occurs about twice as often in women as in men. 3 23 However, virtually no sex difference is seen for adults under 35 years old.…”

Cardiovascular comorbidity in patients with restless legs syndrome: current perspectives

“…Interestingly, when compared by gender, hypertension was a risk factor for RLS in males but not in females in this study. 36 Pennestri et al 37 analyzed PLMS subjects with RLS (N=14) and without RLS (N=14). They found a significant increase of the heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) during PLMS in both groups.…”