Psychiatry Investig.  2017 Nov;14(6):887-893. 10.4306/pi.2017.14.6.887.

Individuals with Restless Legs Syndrome Tend to have Severe Depressive Symptoms: Findings from a Community-Based Cohort Study

• Cho CH
• Kim L
• Lee HJ

• KMID: 2402420
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2017.14.6.887

Abstract

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor neurological disturbance causing physical and psychological distress. Here, we investigated the severity and effect of depressive symptoms in RLS among a Korean cohort population. Depressive symptoms were more prevalent in the RLS group than in the non-RLS group [≥mild depression: odds ratio (OR)=1.95, p < 0.001; ≥ moderate depression: OR=6.15, p < 0.001; and ≥severe depression: OR=56.54, p < 0.001], with a predominant proportion of severe depression (97%) in the RLS group. We found that difficulty falling asleep (OR=8.16, p < 0.001), broken sleep (OR=11.66, p=0.001), early morning awakening (OR=8.5, p < 0.001), and excessive daytime sleepiness (OR=3.04, p=0.031) were significantly frequent in individuals with severe depression in the RLS group. Red blood cell count was significantly low in individuals with severe depression in the RLS group (p=0.041). We found that severe depression was associated with RLS, suggesting the evaluation and management of mood symptoms and sleep-related and hematological features when treating RLS.

Keyword

Restless legs syndrome; Depressive symptom; Insomnia; Daytime sleepiness; Hematological features

MeSH Terms

Accidental Falls
Cohort Studies*
Depression*
Erythrocyte Count
Odds Ratio
Restless Legs Syndrome*
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders