Highlights
- •Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is more prevalent in PwMS than in the general population.
- •Based on the case control studies, the pooled RLS prevalence was much higher in PwMS than in healthy controls (OR=4.535).
- •The relationship between RLS with disability, disease duration, type of MS, age or gender, is inconclusive.
- •The efficacy of specific therapies for RLS in PwMS is currently questionable.
Abstract
Background
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensory-motor disorder characterized by an uncomfortable
sensation felt in the lower extremity. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analyses
was (i) to provide updated information on the prevalence and clinical characteristics
of RLS amongst people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and (ii) clarify RLS-related
factors in PwMS.
Methods
MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, and EMBASE were searched from their inception through April
2021 for the following keywords: ‘restless legs syndrome’ or ‘RLS’ and ‘multiple sclerosis'
or ‘MS’. For the analysis of RLS prevalence, we calculated the percentage of RLS sufferers
amongst the PwMS and people without MS. The prevalence of RLS was pooled separately
for PwMS and healthy controls, regardless of the heterogeneity between studies. The
odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were extracted from the data in order to analyze the
association between MS and RLS.
Results
Nineteen studies were included in the review (9 case-controlled and 10 cross-sectional).The
mean prevalence of RLS in the MS population was 27.5%, ranging from 13.2% to 65.1%,
higher than the healthy controls. Based on the case control studies, the pooled RLS
prevalence was much higher in PwMS than in healthy controls (OR 4.535, 95% CI 3.043–6.759,
p<0.001). The majority of studies found no significant relationship between the presence
of RLS in PwMS with disability, disease duration, type of MS, age, or gender.
Conclusions
Our updated systematic review strengthens the evidence of the increased risk of RLS
amongst PwMS. Nevertheless, significant data reporting on characteristics of the MS
disease, which increases the risk of suffering from RLS, is still lacking.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 21, 2021
Accepted:
September 19,
2021
Received in revised form:
September 10,
2021
Received:
July 15,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
