People with Restless Leg Syndrome at Double Risk for Heart Attack, Stroke
People who experience the symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) may have a heightened risk of stroke and heart disease. In fact, the results of a recently completed study show that people with this condition may actually be at twice the risk as non-RLS sufferers.
RLS is considered to be a neurological disorder which causes unpleasant sensations in the legs. These include feelings of burning, creeping, tugging or even like insects crawling on the legs. Sensations can range from irritating to painful. People with RLS often have a strong urge to move about when at rest to help relieve the discomfort. Lying down activates the symptoms making restful sleep difficult.
The study was conducted at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. Here, 3,433 men and women were enrolled in the Sleep Heart Health Study. Participants were asked to fill out detailed questionnaires regarding their RLS. Additionally, they were asked to provide information about any previous diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or stroke. The average age of the participants was 68. Of the participants, approximately 7 percent of the women and 3 percent of the men had RLS.
What the study found was that people with RLS were more than twice as likely to have cardiovascular disease or cerebrovascular disease. Other physical ailments or lifestyle choices did not change the results. The findings stayed the same regardless of body mass index, diabetes, high blood pressure, medication for blood pressure, cholesterol levels or whether or not a person smoked.
“The association of RLS with heart disease and stroke was strongest in those people who had RLS symptoms at least 16 times per month,” said the study author John W. Winkelman, M.D., of Harvard Medical School. “There was also an increased risk among people who said their RLS symptoms were severe compared to those with less bothersome symptoms.”
Dr. Winkelman wanted it made clear that this study does not show that RLS causes heart attack or stroke, just that a number of potential causes for such an occurrence exist. “In particular, most people with RLS have as many as 200 to 300 periodic leg movements per night of sleep and these leg movements are associated with substantial acute increases in both blood pressure and heart rate, which may, over the long term, produce cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease.”
This study was reported to be the largest of its kind ever assembled. It has been found in numerous other studies that this condition has been helped through nutrition, exercise, as well as Chiropractic and Acupuncture treatments.