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Restless Legs Syndrome Associated With High Blood Pressure |
| Posted on Oct 14 2011 |
New research from the US suggests that middle-aged females with restless legs syndrome (RLS) have a 6% to 41% increased risk of having high blood pressure compared to other women - the risk is linked to the severity and frequency of their RLS, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School reported in the journal Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is one of the major risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
Restless legs syndrome, also known as RLS is a disorder in which patients have an uncontrollable urge to move their legs. Often there is a strange and unpleasant sensation in their legs. The only form of relief is to move the limbs. Patients have used the following words when the sensation in their legs builds up, triggering the urge to move them: tingling, tugging, itching, electric shocks, creeping, crawling, burning, and/or aching. In some cases, the arms are affected too.
RLS symptoms tend to become worse and more frequent in the evening and after going to bed, and improve in the morning.
RLS is twice as common in females as males. Symptoms onset tends to occur during middle age or later, but can occur at any age.
RLS frequently affects sleep quality. Patients, especially those with severe symptoms, commonly suffer from fatigue during the day, as well as depression, and other problems linked to poor quality sleep and insomnia.
The authors found that:
· 26% of females with 5 to 14 RLS episodes each month suffered from hypertension
· 33% of those with over 15 episodes per month had hypertension
· 21% of those with no RLS had hypertension
The authors concluded:
"Women with restless legs syndrome have a higher prevalence of hypertension, and this prevalence increases with more frequent restless legs symptoms."
Last changed: Oct 14 2011 at 11:27 AM
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