Adults with restless legs syndrome (RLS), a common debilitating condition, may be affected physically, mentally, and socially by their disease.
In a new study presented at CHEST 2005, the 71st annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), adults at risk for RLS were more likely than those without risk of RLS to report additional physical and psychiatric conditions, including depression and anxiety. Adults at risk for RLS also were more likely to be overweight, unemployed, daily smokers, and to have issues with work attendance and performance.
"There is a strong association between physical and mental health problems and RLS," said study author Barbara A. Phillips, MD, FCCP, President of the National Sleep Foundation and Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY. "It is possible that RLS causes mood disturbance. It is also possible the medications used to treat mood disturbance cause RLS. In addition, behaviors that are risk factors for RLS, such as smoking, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle, are more prevalent in those with psychiatric illnesses."