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Association of restless legs syndrome and cardiovascular disease in the Sleep Heart Health Study.

TitleAssociation of restless legs syndrome and cardiovascular disease in the Sleep Heart Health Study.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2008
AuthorsWinkelman, JW, Shahar, E, Sharief, I, Gottlieb, DJ
JournalNeurology
Volume70
Issue1
Pagination35-42
Date Published2008 Jan 01
ISSN1526-632X
KeywordsAged, Body Mass Index, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cross-Sectional Studies, Evaluation Studies as Topic, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Logistic Models, Male, Middle Aged, Odds Ratio, Prevalence, Restless Legs Syndrome, Surveys and Questionnaires
Abstract<p><b>OBJECTIVE: </b>We evaluated the cross-sectional association between restless legs syndrome (RLS) and prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a large community-based sample of middle-aged and elderly subjects.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>This is a cross-sectional observational study of 1,559 men and 1,874 women (mean age of 67.9 years) who were enrolled in the Sleep Heart Health Study, a community-based study of the cardiovascular consequences of sleep-disordered breathing. RLS was defined by positive responses on a self-administered questionnaire to the four diagnostic criteria, with symptoms occurring at least five times per month and associated with at least moderate distress. Coronary artery disease (CAD) was determined by self-report of doctor-diagnosed angina, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization procedure. Total CVD included CAD or history of physician-diagnosed stroke or heart failure. The relation of RLS to prevalent CAD and CVD was examined by multivariable logistic regression models</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>RLS was present in 6.8% of women (n = 128) and 3.3% of men (n = 51). After adjustment for age, sex, race, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive medication use, total:high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, and smoking history, the ORs for CAD were 2.05 (95% CI 1.38 to 3.04) and for CVD were 2.07 (1.43 to 3.00) for subjects with RLS compared to those without RLS. The associations of RLS with CAD and CVD were stronger in those with RLS symptoms at least 16 times per month and were stronger in those with severe than in those with moderately bothersome symptoms.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is associated with prevalent coronary artery disease and cardiovascular disease. This association appears stronger in those with greater frequency or severity of RLS symptoms.</p>
DOI10.1212/01.wnl.0000287072.93277.c9
Alternate JournalNeurology
PubMed ID18166705
PubMed Central IDPMC: N/A
Grant ListHL53938-07S1 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL71515 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL53916 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL53931 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL53934 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL53937 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL53938 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL53940 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL53941 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL63429 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL63463 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
U01 HL64360 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States