PREVALENCE OF RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE-2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Abstract

Restless legs syndrome is a common sensorimotor disorder that is marked by unpleasant sensations & an uncontrollable urge to move mostly in the legs accompanied by discomfort and sleep disturbances. RLS has been significantly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Many experimental and epidemiological studies have reported that there is greater prevalence of RLS in high fasting plasma glucose and high HbA1C level. The present study sighted to investigate the prevalence of restless leg syndrome in patients with T2DM in Pakistan. It was a single centered cross-sectional study done among patients of T2DM of age 40-80 years having diabetes from at least 3 years. Most of the patients were recruited from Jinnah Hospital Lahore. The diagnosis was made on the basis of “International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG)” criteria. Data was collected by using international Restless Legs syndrome questionnaire (Rating Scale). In this study 335 diabetic patients were included with 124 males and 211 females. 335 patients of age>40 years with T2DM were studied for the symptoms of RLS. The RLS was found in 222 (66.26%) patients while 113 (33.73%) patients had not meet the criteria for RLS. A significant relationship between RLS and poor quality of sleep was observed. Most of the patients were on insulin therapy along with oral hypoglycemic agents. There was a close association between RLS, poor glycemic control and diabetic neuropathy. There is significantly high prevalence of RLS among patients of T2DM which results in poor quality of life. Commonly it is an under diagnosed condition but can be improved with early diagnosis and prompt treatment.