Restless leg syndrome a common undiagnosed comorbidity of clinical significance in cirrhosis

Sleep disturbances are common in cirrhosis. Restless leg syndrome is a chronic sensorimotor sleep disorder with an irresistible urge to move limbs. Our aim was to study prevalence &association of RLS in liver cirrhosis subjects. Material & Method:
Two hundred consecutive cirrhosis patients, presenting at Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Hospital, Jaipur were evaluated. 157 subjects meeting the inclusion criteria were selected for further evaluation. Revised International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) criteria 2012, was used for diagnosed of RLS. Severity of RLS was evaluated by a validated Hindi translation of International RLS severity (IRLS) scoring system. Of studied 157 cirrhotic, the mean age was 46.4 ± 10 years, 109 (69.43%) males and 48 (30.57%) females. 41 (26.11%) cirrhotic subjects had Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). Child Turcotte Pugh (CTP) Class (A 9/55, B 15/68, C 17/34; p 0.043) and alcohol as etiology for liver dysfunction (p 0.03) was significantly associated with RLS. RLS is common comorbidity in cirrhosis, especially in alcohol related cirrhosis. RLS has a clinical correlation with prognosis & severity of cirrhosis.