A new study connects restless leg syndrome with an increased risk of heart disease.
The study was conducted by the Nurses’ Health Study and led by Dr. Yanping Li of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Li found that patients who suffered from restless leg syndrome for three years or longer were at an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
The exact cause of this association is still unknown, but patients with restless leg syndrome often have higher heart rates and blood pressure.
Li also noted that most cases of restless leg syndrome go undiagnosed. “Most people don’t think of it as a disease and don’t go to see a doctor about it, and then many doctors don’t take it seriously, either.”
Dr. Silverman Comments
I see undiagnosed restless leg syndrome all the time in my practice. It can be a subtle condition but becomes obvious when you ask a patient to relax their leg to aid in an exam. Instead of the natural reaction of relaxing both legs, the patient only relaxes one. The other stays tense or wiggles.
Other patients are even easier to spot, such as those who just can’t sit still during a conversation.
It will be important to identify these patients and get them the help they need. We don’t know with certainty if treatment of restless leg syndrome will prevent heart disease but it can be monitored for a higher risk like diabetes, smoking, and obesity.
Do you suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome? Have you seen a doctor about it?
Related Sources:
medscape.com