The association of Restless Legs Syndrome with hypertension and cardiovascular disease
Vasiliki Katsi, Themistoklis Katsimichas, Manolis S. Kallistratos, Dora Tsekoura, Thomas Makris, Athanasios J. Manolis, Dimitris Tousoulis, Christodoulos Stefanadis, Ioannis Kallikazaros
Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece
Med Sci Monit 2014; 20:654-659
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.890252
Available online: 2014-04-21
Published: 2014-04-21
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), is a sensory-motor neurological disorder that appears to be surprisingly common in the community. Periodic limb movements in sleep are typically encountered in more than 80% of RLS patients and comprise involuntary muscular jerks in the lower limbs, such as flexion of the knees or ankles. Iron deficiency and dopaminergic neuronal dysfunction in the central nervous system are currently thought to be the likely pathophysiological culprits. There is evidence linking RLS to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. This short review will first present a synopsis of epidemiological, clinical and pathophysiological data concerning the syndrome, and then information on the possible links between RLS and cardiovascular disorders
Keywords: Hypertension - complications, Cardiovascular Diseases - complications, Restless Legs Syndrome - physiopathology
