FREQUENCY OF RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME IN PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE PRESENTING AT FOUJI FOUNDATION HOSPITAL, RAWALPINDI
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54112/pjicm.v5i02.113Keywords:
Parkinson's Disease, Restless Legs Syndrome, NeurodegenerationAbstract
Background: Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a common non-motor symptom in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) that significantly affects quality of life. Its prevalence varies and may be influenced by factors such as medication, disease duration, and comorbidities. Objective: To determine the frequency of Restless Legs Syndrome in patients with Parkinson's disease. Study Design: cross-sectional study. Setting: The Department of Neurology at Fouji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Duration of Study: 12 September 2024 to 12 March 2025. Methods: A total of 73 patients with clinically diagnosed Parkinson's disease aged 40–80 years were enrolled. RLS was diagnosed based on the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) criteria, and symptom severity was evaluated using the International RLS Rating Scale (IRLS). Parkinson's disease severity was assessed using the Hoehn and Yahr scale. Data on demographics, comorbidities, medication use, and disease characteristics were collected using a structured proforma. Results: The mean age of participants was 63.96 ± 11.15 years, with a mean PD duration of 5.18 ± 2.00 years. Males accounted for 56.2% of the cohort. RLS was identified in 20.5% of the patients, and 27.4% were receiving dopaminergic therapy. Common comorbid conditions included hypertension (46.6%) and diabetes mellitus (30.1%). Conclusion: This study found a moderately high frequency (20.5%) of Restless Legs Syndrome in patients with Parkinson's disease. These findings underscore the importance of routine screening for RLS in PD patients to improve overall disease management and quality of life.
References
Bloem BR, Okun MS, Klein C. Parkinson's disease. Lancet. 2021;397(10291):2284-303. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00218-x
Alexoudi A, Alexoudi I, Gatzonis S. Parkinson's disease pathogenesis, evolution and alternative pathways: A review. Rev Neurol (Paris). 2018;174(10):699-704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurol.2017.12.003
Kabra A, Sharma R, Kabra R, Baghel US. Emerging and Alternative Therapies For Parkinson's Disease: An Updated Review. Curr Pharm Des. 2018;24(22):2573-2582. https://doi.org/10.2174/1381612824666180820150150
Ehgoetz Martens KA, Shine JM, Walton CC, Georgiades MJ, Gilat M, Hall JM, et al. Evidence for subtypes of freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord. 2018;33(7):1174-8. https://doi.org/10.1002/mds.27417
Chung SJ, Yoo HS, Lee HS, Oh JS, Kim JS, Sohn YH, et al. The Pattern of Striatal Dopamine Depletion as a Prognostic Marker in De Novo Parkinson's Disease. Clin Nucl Med. 2018 Nov;43(11):787-792. https://doi.org/10.1097/RLU.0000000000002251
Mostafa SA, Mustapha A, Mohammed MA, Hamed RI, Arunkumar N, Abd Ghani MK, et al. Examining multiple feature evaluation and classification methods for improving the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Cognitive Systems Research. 2019;54:90-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsys.2018.12.004
Creaby MW, Cole MH. Gait characteristics and falls in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2018;57:1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parkreldis.2018.07.008
Odin P, Chaudhuri KR, Volkmann J, Antonini A, Storch A, Dietrichs E, et al. Viewpoint and practical recommendations from a movement disorder specialist panel on objective measurement in the clinical management of Parkinson's disease. NPJ Parkinson's Dis. 2018;4:14. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41531-018-0051-7
Manconi M, Garcia-Borreguero D, Schormair B, Videnovic A, Berger K, Ferri R, et al. Restless legs syndrome. Nature reviews Disease primers. 2021;7(1):80. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41572-021-00311-z
Gossard TR, Trotti LM, Videnovic A, St Louis EK. Restless legs syndrome: contemporary diagnosis and treatment. Neurotherapeutics. 2021;18(1):140-55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13311-021-01019-4
Gonzalez-Latapi P, Malkani R. Update on restless legs syndrome: from mechanisms to treatment. Current neurology and neuroscience reports. 2019;19(8):54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-019-0965-4
Winkelman JW. Considering the causes of RLS. Eur J Neurol. 2006;13 Suppl 3:8-14. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-1331.2006.01586.x
Allen RP, Earley CJ. Restless legs syndrome: a review of clinical and pathophysiologic features. J Clin Neurophysiol. 2001;18(2):128-47. https://journals.lww.com/clinicalneurophys/abstract/2001/03000/restless_legs_syndrome__a_review_of_clinical_and.4.aspx
You S, Jeon SM, Do SY, Cho YW, Restless legs syndrome in Parkinson's disease patients: clinical features including motor and nonmotor symptoms. J Clin Neurol. 2019; t 5(3):321-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3988/jcn.2019.15.3.321
International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group. Validation of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group rating scale for restless legs syndrome. Sleep medicine. 2003 Mar 1;4(2):121-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1389-9457(02)00258-7
Maggi G, Barone A, Mastromarino C, Santangelo G, Vitale C. Prevalence and clinical profile of patients with restless legs syndrome in Parkinson's disease: A meta-analysis. Sleep Med. 2024;121:275-286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2024.07.015
Yang X, Liu B, Shen H, Li S, Zhao Q, An R, et al. Prevalence of restless legs syndrome in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Sleep Med 2018;43:40–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2017.11.1146
Sobreira-Neto MA, Pena-Pereira MA, Sobreira EST, Chagas MHN, Almeida CMO, Fernandes RMF, et al. Is restless legs syndrome in Parkinson's disease patients associated with any specific factor? Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2021;79(1):38–43. https://www.scielo.br/j/anp/a/4Sx58sy89hDsPzqnWhs69kp/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 N ULLAH , H HASHIM , R USMAN , S ULLAH

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.