Can't keep those legs still? It might not mean a lot to you, but a new study has revealed that restless legs syndrome (RLS) can increase the mortality risk of men.
A study published on the journal Neurology titled "Prospective study of restless legs syndrome and mortality among men" looked into the possibility of increased mortality risk in men with restless legs syndrome.
"This was a prospective cohort study of 18,425 US men free of diabetes, arthritis, and renal failure in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). In 2002, RLS was assessed using a set of standardized questions. Deaths were identified from state vital statistics records, the National Death Index, family reports, and the postal system," the authors described the methodology of the study.
Seven hundred subjects were diagnosed with RLS. The mortality rate in this segment was 25 percent compared to just 15 percent for those without RLS discovered after a follow-up after eight years.
The proponents led by Dr. Xiang Gao from the Brigham and Women's Hospital located in Boston found out that men with RLS are 39 percent more likely to die earlier compared to those without RLS. The proponents noted that the statistics was still significant even after adjustments and after taking into consideration other health concerns of the subjects.
The study concluded that the higher mortality linked with RLS is independent of some known risk factors and frequently tied to immunologic disorders, metabolic disease, nutritional problems, respiratory disease, and endocrine disease.
"Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder of the part of the nervous system that affects the legs and causes an urge to move them. Because it usually interferes with sleep, it also is considered a sleep disorder," WebMD defined RLS.
Some of the symptoms identified by the medical references include uncomfortable feeling, creepy crawly, pins and needles, and itchy sensation prompting an individual to move the legs since the symptoms are worst when at rest.
"Increasing awareness of restless legs syndrome, especially [in] training for health professions, should be encouraged if our findings are confirmed by future studies," explained the authors of the study.
However, the proponents recommended that further studies must be done to look into other associated pathology that might increase the mortality risk of men with restless legs syndrome. This was also the opinion of Dr. Daniel Labovitz from the Montefiore Medical Center located in New York who commented on the study of Gao and colleagues.
"It's difficult in a [study of this size] to find a previously unidentified risk for death that carries a risk of 40% greater than people without the disease. That's the kind of extra risk we see from known causes of death like high blood pressure and diabetes. It's a big deal," reiterated Labovitz.
