Association between periodic limb movements during sleep and cerebral small vessel disease

Periodic limb movements (PLMs) can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Small vessel disease (SVD) has been considered a precursor to symptomatic stroke. We aimed to investigate the association between PLMs and cerebral SVD.

We enrolled participants who visited our clinic for the evaluation of sleep disturbance and underwent overnight polysomnography and brain magnetic resonance imaging. The processing steps included rating and analyzing white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), asymptomatic lacunar infarctions (ALIs), perivascular spaces (PVSs), and calculating the total SVD score. Logistic regression and correlation analyses were used to examine the association between PLMs during sleep (PLMS) and SVD.

A total of 31 (19 men and 12 women) patients with PLMS index ≥ 15/h were enrolled. The mean age was 61.7 years and the median PLMS index was 46.5/h. A total of 29 controls (16 men and 13 women) with PLMS index < 5/h were also included. PLMS index was positively associated with an increase in WMHs, ALIs, and PVSs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.022, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.003-1.040, p = 0.008; OR = 1.024, 95% CI = 1.006-1.043, p = 0.010; OR = 1.029, 95% CI = 1.010-1.049, p = 0.003, respectively). Correlation analyses revealed that total SVD score was significantly correlated with PLMS index (r = 0.504, p < 0.001).

An elevated PLMS index was associated with an increase in WMHs, ALIs, PVSs, and total SVD burden. Our study suggests that PLMS is a marker for SVD, which carries a potential risk for progression to overt stroke or cognitive impairment.