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Published on: February 19, 2020
Clinical correlates of the restless legs syndrome
Luis Fabiano Marin1, Andre Carvalho Felicio, William Adolfo Santos
1Division of Sleep Disorders, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Claudio Rossi 394, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. luisfabianom@gmail.com
Objective:
To determine the clinical correlates of the restless legs syndrome (RLS) in a Brazilian sleep disorders center.
Methods:
We retrospectively studied 118 patients with RLS from January, 2004, to December, 2010. The analyzed variables were: age at disease onset, gender, race, years of school instruction, primary and secondary RLS, and treatment options.
Results:
Among the studied patients, 83.9% were women with a female/male sex ratio of 5:1. Mean age of the patients at symptom onset ± standard deviation was 41.7±17.9 years-old. The primary RLS was found in 85% of patients. The other 15% remainders consisted of secondary forms, and they were associated with neuropathy, iron deficiency anemia, end-stage renal disease, or Parkinson's disease. Drug therapy for RLS was introduced in 67% of patients.
Conclusions:
Most patients presented primary RLS with an early disease onset. Further epidemiological studies are welcomed to provide better information on secondary RLS in Brazil.
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