The prevalence of restless legs syndrome among university students: a single-centre study

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a relatively common movement disorder. Epidemiological data on RLS in young adults remain lacking. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of primer RLS among university students comprising young adults.

The study was performed by two neurologists using the face-to-face survey method. A total of 3,047 students were included in the study. First, secondary causes of RLS were excluded by anamnesis. Then, eligible participants were asked to provide demographic data and answer five questions from the 2014 revised international restless legs syndrome study group (IRLSSG) diagnostic criteria; students who answered "yes" to the five questions were considered to have RLS and were invited to the hospital to further exclude secondary causes of RLS using medical data system, neurological examination, and blood tests. The IRLSSG severity scale was applied to measure the severity of the disease.

Primary RLS was detected in 78 students comprising 44 females and 34 males, with a prevalence rate of 2.6%. Sleep disorders were more common in individuals with RLS (p = 0.005), and included difficulty falling asleep and waking up frequently (p = 0.001). Of the 78 students with RLS, 32 had first-degree relatives with RLS (41.02%).

When the secondary causes of RLS, which adversely affects the quality of life, is excluded, the prevalence of primary RLS in among included university students was 2.6%.