The epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in the restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movements during sleep

Xiang Gao, Yun Shen, Brian B. Koo

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

The restless legs syndrome (RLS) and periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) are two common sleep disorders, affecting approximately 5–10% of the general population. We reviewed evidence regarding the association of RLS and PLMS with CVD risk and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors obtained from population-based studies. Several, but not all, epidemiologic studies reported positive associations between RLS/PLMS and CVD risk. Treating RLS was also shown to be associated with lower future CVD risk. However, most of these studies are cross-sectional and thus the direction of causation cannot be determined. A limited number of prospective studies aimed at determining a link between RLS and incident CVD have generated inconsistent results, which may be related to different methodological assessments of RLS across studies and a lack of quantification of RLS symptom severity. In conclusion, previous epidemiologic studies showed an association between RLS/PLMS and CVD, largely in cross sectional studies. These observations need confirmation by future large-scale prospective studies, using standardized approaches for RLS and PLMS assessment.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationEncyclopedia of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
Subtitle of host publicationVolume 1-6, Second Edition
PublisherElsevier
Pages652-665
Number of pages14
ISBN (Electronic)9780323910941
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Neuroscience

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