Restless legs syndrome: study of prevalence among medical school faculty members

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of idiopathic restless legs syndrome (RLS) and its correlations in a sample of Medical School faculty members. A transversal study was conducted at a Medical School in the south of Brazil included 78 faculty members. The subjects answered to a structured questionnaire specific to RLS diagnosis and the Epworth and the Stanford scales to measure daytime sleepiness. Severity of the disease was also evaluated. The variables were analyzed to statistical significance. RLS was diagnosed in 10.25% of the subjects evaluated and most were women (62.5%). The prevalence of daytime sleepiness was significantly greater among the subjects suffering from RLS (p=0.04). RLS subjects were significantly younger than the group without the syndrome (p=0.02). RLS had a considerable prevalence in the sample studied. Daytime sleepiness and young age showed an important correlation to this syndrome, as other potential factors were not confirmed.