The Prevalence of Restless Legs Syndrome in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of restless legs syndrome amongst patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Participants were 384 patients aged more than 18 years who had a history of admission with a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the gastroenterology hospital in Guilan, Iran. The diagnosis of restless legs syndrome (RLS) was confirmed based on DSM-V, and its severity was identified using the International Restless Legs Scale (IRLS) questionnaire. The participants were assigned into two groups; patients with a history of IBD and RLS (n=61) and IBD without RLS (n=323). The prevalence of RLS, as well as demographic variables, have been analyzed between groups using the Chi-square test.

The prevalence of RLS was 15.9%. It was significantly higher in; women (P=0.042), primary/secondary, and high school graduates (p<0.0001), married (p =0.011), and retired (p =0.021) patients. The prevalence of RLS in patients affected with anemia was significantly more (p =0.043). Increasing age (OR=1.06) and the duration of IBD (OR=1.08) were associated with increased risk of RLS.

Our findings indicate RLS frequently happens in patients with IBD. As RLS can affect sleep quality, it should be considered as one of the causes of sleep disturbance in patients with IBD.