The relationship between chronic kidney disease and restless legs syndrome and its effective factors. A case-control study.

I Restless legs syndrome (RLS), is a neurological disorder in which persons feel uncomfortable, especially at night, in the limbs and needs to move their legs. This condition worsens with rest. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of restless legs syndrome in patients with renal insufficiency. In this case-control study, 180 patients with chronic kidney disease (90 hemodialysis patients and 90 non-dialysis patients) who referred to the nephrology clinic and dialysis ward of Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz, were investigated. Data collection was done through a questionnaire form which was based on the criteria of the International Association for the Study of Restless Legs Syndrome. Among 180 patients in studied, 92 (51.7%) cases were male and 88 (48.3%) cases were female. The mean age of patients was 60.4 ± 17.2. So, 90 non-dialysis patients and 90 hemodialysis patients were evaluated. Of all the hemodialysis patients studied, 33 (37%) patients had restless legs syndrome, and among the non-dialysis patients, only 16 (18%) patients had restless legs syndrome. The frequency of restless legs syndrome is significantly higher in patients undergoing hemodialysis (P=0.001). There was also a meaningful difference about the frequency of restless legs syndrome among the male (77%) patients than females (23%) (P=0.001). A significant percentage (27%) of patients with renal failure suffer from restless legs syndrome and the hemodialysis patients are more involved in this disease, which needs more importance. Also, based on our findings in this study, men have a high probability of a conflict of restless legs syndrome than women.