Restless legs syndrome in stroke patients

• The association between acute stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) and restless legs syndrome (RLS) was examined.
• We interviewed patients hospitalized with acute stroke/TIA for the presence of RLS.
• These patients were matched by age and gender to a control group.
• There was a significant association between RLS and stroke/TIA.
• This association remained after adjustment for common cardiovascular risk factors.

BackgroundRestless legs syndrome (RLS) is associated with cerebrovascular risk factors, but its possible association with cerebrovascular disease has yielded conflicting results.ObjectiveThis was a case–control, in-hospital study to evaluate the association between RLS and acute stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).MethodsWe evaluated patients hospitalized with acute stroke/TIA and an age and gender 2:1 frequency-matched control group, for the presence of RLS.ResultsTwenty-two of 149 patients (15%) and 10 of 298 controls (3%) suffered from RLS (p < 0.0001). A multivariate logistic regression model employing cerebrovascular risk factors as predictors, that is, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and body mass index (BMI), determined that stroke/TIA was significantly associated with RLS with odds ratio for RLS among patients with stroke/TIA versus controls of 7.60 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.07–27.87; p = 0.002). Another multivariate logistic regression model adjusting for possible RLS risk factors, that is, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, BMI, anemia, and reduced renal function, determined that stroke/TIA was significantly associated with RLS with odds ratio of 6.85 (95% CI: 6.85–1.79; p = 0.005). Stepwise logistic regression with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, BMI, anemia, and reduced renal function as potential predictors revealed that only stroke/TIA predicted RLS with similar odds ratio to the RLS-based multivariate model of 6.54 (95% CI: 2.63–16.27; p < 0.0001).ConclusionsExamining stroke patients while in hospital allowed us to conclude that RLS and acute stroke/TIA are significantly associated. However, the cross-sectional design did not allow for the determination of a causative relationship between the two.