Restless Legs Syndrome and Quality of Life in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract

Context: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor disorder that often has a profound impact on sleep and one of the most troublesome conditions experienced in hemodialysis patients. Aims: The aim of study was to search frequency of RLS and effects of RLS on quality of life (QoL) in chronic hemodialysis patients. Settings and Design: Chronic hemodialysis patients of classical hemodialysis units were chosen. Length of the study was approximately 1 year. Subjects and Methods: Two hundred and thirty‑seven patients were investigated. RLS was diagnosed using to international the RLS questionnaire. The International RLS (IRLS) rating scale was used to calculate RLS severity. QoL was assessed using the World Health Organization QoL brief version (WHOQOL‑BREF) instrument. Statistical Analysis Used: Student’s t‑test, Chi‑square test or Fisher’s exact test, Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, and Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis were used. Significance level was P < 0.05. Results: The overall prevalence of RLS according to the four essential criteria was 18.6% (n = 44). According to IRLS, 22.7% of the patients with RLS were mild (n = 10), 63.6% were moderate (n = 28), and 13.7% were severe (n = 6). The parameters of QoL were compared in RLS‑positive and negative patients. There was no significant difference in psychological health (P = 0.971), social relationships (P = 0.462), and environment (P = 0.483) between two groups. Only the physical health scores were higher in without RLS than patients with RLS (P = 0.027). Conclusions: This study revealed that the frequency of RLS among chronic hemodialysis patients is 18.6% and RLS leads to physical life quality disturbances.

Keywords: Hemodialysis, quality of life, restless legs syndrome