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 language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms |
Subtitle of host publication | Volume 1-6, Second Edition |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Pages | 652-665 |
Number of pages | 14 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780323910941 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2023 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Neuroscience