Chronic pulmonary disease is associated with pain spreading and restless legs syndrome in middle-aged women-a population-based study

Prevalence and predictors of restless legs syndrome among patients having stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND

Patients having COPD share some factors, e.g., chronic hypoxemia, anemia of chronic disease and nicotine use, which are also the risk factors for RLS hence predispose them to experience RLS in higher then general population. There are limited studies with methodological constraints evaluating the prevalence and/or correlates of RLS among patients with COPD.

METHODS

Consecutive adult patients of either gender, having stable COPD as per GOLD guidelines 2021, were assessed for RLS using IRLSSG (2014) criteria (excluding RLS mimics) and the severity of RLS was determined in participants having RLS. Phenomenology of RLS, past medical history and laboratory parameters were gathered. Insomnia and depression were assessed using the insomnia severity index and PHQ-9, respectively.

RESULTS

Participants' (N = 210) mean age was 63.02 ± 8.19 years, and 83.8% of subjects were men. 12.9% of participants were found to have RLS. Among those having RLS, nearly half (51.9%) had moderate symptoms, and 18.5% experienced severe symptoms. RLS was more prevalent among younger, females, those having severe COPD, participants having exacerbation of COPD in the previous year, lower post-bronchodilator FEV1, higher dyspnea and COPD assessment test score. Multivariate analysis showed that younger age, female gender, lower post-bronchodilator FEV1, lower FEV1/FVC ratio and higher serum creatinine increased the odds of having RLS. Depressive symptoms were more frequent in participants having RLS.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study found that the prevalence of RLS among patients with stable COPD was higher than the general population. Female gender, younger age, higher airflow limitation and higher serum creatinine (though in the physiological range) increase the odds of having RLS. Stable patients with COPD having these characteristics must be screened for RLS.

Worldwide estimation of restless legs syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence in the general adult population

This systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression assessed the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in the general adult population. Studies identified in Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycInfo between January 2000 and February 2022 were included if they used a case-control or cross-sectional design and reported data regarding the prevalence of RLS. The protocol was pre-registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42022300709). A total of 97 studies including 483,079 participants from 33 different countries met the eligibility criteria. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality, and the fill-and-trim method was used to correct probable publication bias, while the jack-knife method was performed to assess small study effect. The corrected overall pooled prevalence of RLS was 3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4%-3.8%). The pooled prevalence of RLS syndrome was affected by methodological quality (no data from non-respondents in the included studies), gender (higher among women), study design (lower prevalence in case-control versus cohort and cross-sectional studies). The figures for corrected pooled prevalence among men, women, alcohol consumers and smokers were 2.8% (95% CI 2%-3.7%); 4.7% (95% CI 3.2%-6.3%); 1.4% (95% CI 0%-4.2%); and 2.7% (95% CI 0%-5.3%), respectively. The prevalence among male and female participants was lower in community-based versus non-community-based studies. Moreover, the prevalence was higher in developed versus developing countries and among elders versus adults. In conclusion, RLS is a common disorder in the general adult population, with a higher prevalence in women; however, prevalence data are affected by study design and quality.

Prevalence, risk factors and effects of restless legs syndrome in COPD patients

Restless legs syndrome (RLS), a sensory motor disorder, is commonly seen amongst chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. We conducted a study to know its prevalence in COPD and analyse the possible cause and effect of RLS. It is an analytical cross-sectional study conducted between July 2016-December 2020.The prevalence of RLS was evaluated in patients of COPD using RLS diagnostic criteria. Spirometry, iron profile and arterial blood gas analysis was performed in all the patients to evaluate the cause of RLS. The effect was evaluated with diagnostic criteria for insomnia and patient health questionnaire (PHQ2) for depression. There were 205 participants with a mean age of 59±8 years, 182 (88.7%) men and 23 (11.2%) women. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 29±3.9 kg/m2. The prevalence of RLS was 31.2%. RLS was more common amongst women compared to men (60.8% vs 27.4%). RLS was more prevalent among hypoxemic (PaO2<60 mm Hg) and hypercapnic (PaCO2>45 mm Hg) patients (p<0.016; p<0.017). The ROC curve plotted between PaO2 and RLS occurrence showed that the patients having PaO2 less than 76 mm of Hg were more prone to develop RLS. RLS patients had a higher incidence of insomnia as compared to those without RLS (68.8% vs 36.8%, p<0.001). COPD with RLS patients had more depressive symptoms with a higher patient health questionnaire 2 (PHQ2) score (35.9% vs 14.2%, p<0.001) compared to non-RLS COPD patients. The multiple regression analysis also confirmed that RLS led to insomnia and depressive symptoms in COPD patients. To conclude, RLS is common in COPD patients. RLS leads to insomnia and depression, thus should be identified and treated.

Sleep Deficiency, Sleep Apnea, and Chronic Lung Disease

With sleep occupying up to one-third of every adult's life, addressing sleep is essential to overall health. Sleep disturbance and deficiency are common in patients with chronic lung diseases and associated with worse clinical outcomes and poor quality of life. A detailed history incorporating nocturnal respiratory symptoms, symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and restless legs syndrome, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and medications is the first step in identifying and addressing the multiple factors often contributing to sleep deficiency in chronic lung disease. Additional research is needed to better understand the relationship between sleep deficiency and the spectrum of chronic lung diseases.

The influence of restless legs symptoms on musculoskeletal pain in depression

Background and aims Restless legs syndrome is a sensorimotor disorder associated with mental health conditions notably depression. Restless legs symptoms and depression are commonly associated with pain. The study investigated the influence of restless legs symptoms on musculoskeletal pain in patients with depression or with increased depressive symptoms. Methods A cross-sectional study of primary care patients in the Central Finland Hospital District. The prevalence of restless legs symptoms was studied in patients with depressive symptoms (n = 695) and controls without a psychiatric diagnosis (n = 410) by using a structured questionnaire. The depressive symptoms were evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory and the psychiatric diagnosis was confirmed by means of a diagnostic interview (MINI). The prevalence and intensity of musculoskeletal pain was captured with form-based questions. A single-question screen for restless legs symptoms was applied. Results There was a significant difference in the prevalence of continuous widespread musculoskeletal pain between the three study groups: the controls 4.6% (95% CI: 2.8-7.1), the patients with symptoms of depression without a diagnosis 16.0% (11.7-21.1), and the patients with diagnosed depression 22.1% (18.3-23.3) (p = 0.006 after being adjusted for age, sex, smoking, use of alcohol, education years, body mass index, use of antidepressants, and physical activity, after multiple corrections, all groups were significantly different from each other). Compared with those not having restless legs symptoms, subjects with restless legs symptoms had more often continuous widespread musculoskeletal pain in the control subjects (p = 0.001; 2.3% vs. 10.5%) and in the patients with depressive symptoms without a depression diagnosis (p = 0.024; 9.1 vs. 18.7%) but not in those with diagnosed depression (p = 0.98; 19.5 vs. 19.4%). The restless legs symptoms were associated with the intensity of pain in all groups (p < 0.001). Conclusions Restless legs symptoms were related to continuous widespread musculoskeletal pain in subjects without depressive symptoms and in patients with depressive symptoms without a depression diagnosis. Pain intensity was higher in the subjects with restless legs symptoms regardless of depressive symtoms or depression. Implications Clinical management of pain in patients with restless legs symptoms should include an increased focus on the prevention and treatment of either conditions.

Multimorbidity in COPD, does sleep matter?

A good night's sleep is a prerequisite for sustainable mental and physical health. Sleep disorders, including sleep disordered breathing, insomnia and sleep related motor dysfunction (e.g., restless legs syndrome), are common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), especially in more severe disease. COPD is commonly associated with multimorbidity, and sleep disorders as a component of this multimorbidity spectrum have a further negative impact on COPD-related comorbidities. Indeed, concomitant diseases in COPD and in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are similar, suggesting that the combination of COPD and OSA, the so called OSA-COPD overlap syndrome (OVS), affects patient outcomes. Potential clinically important interactions of OVS exist in cardiovascular and metabolic disease, arthritis, anxiety, depression, neurocognitive disorder and the fatigue syndrome. Correct diagnosis for recognition and treatment of sleep-related disorders in COPD is recommended. However, surprisingly limited information is available and further research and improved diagnostic tools are needed. In the absence of clear evidence, we agree with the recommendation of the Global Initiative on Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease that sleep disorders should be actively searched for and treated in patients with COPD. We believe that both aspects are important components of the holistic approach required in patients with chronic multimorbid conditions.

Impact of Positive Airway Pressure on International Restless Legs Syndrome Score in Sleep Disordered Breathing

Study Objective: Studies have shown increased prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in sleep disordered breathing (SDB), however limited data have focused on the impact of SDB therapy on RLS. We hypothesize that positive airway pressure (PAP) will improve the International Restless Legs Syndrome (IRLS) score among SDB patients compared to patients without PAP. Methods: Patients with AHI ≥ 5 who responded positively to a RLS qualifier question from January 2010 to May 2015 were included in this retrospective study. IRLS score was used to measure RLS symptom severity. Two-sample t-tests and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare changes in IRLS score and linear regression models were created to examine IRLS change with PAP use and PAP adherence (PAP usage ≥4 h nightly for ≥70% of nights), adjusting for potential confounders. Results: In 434 patients (51.9 ± 13.4years, 50.5% female, 77.6% Caucasian; 325 PAP, 109 control), IRLS scores improved from baseline to follow-up, with the PAP group achieving significant improvement after adjustment for covariates (difference in IRLS: −1.8 (CI −3.6,0.00), p = 0.050). In self-reported PAP adherent patients, IRLS improvement was greater than controls (−5.3 ± 7.4 vs. −2.7 ± 7.6 respectively, p = 0.045), and comparable to non-adherent patients (−5.3 ± 7.4 vs. −3.0 ± 7.0, p = 0.091). Conclusions: Among SDB patients with a positive RLS qualifier, those who used PAP therapy achieved significantly greater improvement in IRLS scores than patients who did not use PAP, with more significant changes in the PAP adherent group. This is the first large clinical study to examine these relationships, providing a basis for future prospective interventional trials and informing clinicians of expected improvement in IRLS score in PAP treated SDB populations.