Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), sometimes referred to as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a neurological disorder that causes a person to be possessed by an uncontrollable urge to move their legs to stop strange and unpleasant sensations within the body. It usually affects the legs, but it can affect other parts of the body such as the arms and head, and it can even occur while a person is sleeping. Actually, when a person relaxes and is trying to sleep is when it tends to get worse. The level of pain and discomfort varies from person to person. Unfortunately, it is a common disorder (affecting about 5% of U.S. adults) that is poorly understood.
According to a new study by Penn State researchers, people suffering from RLS have an almost tripled risk of self-harm and suicide compared to those without the condition. The analysis involved a cohort of 169,373 patients – 145,194 healthy and 24,179 of them being diagnosed with RLS. Over a six-year follow-up, the patients with RLS were 2.7 times as likely to harm themselves or experience suicidal thinking or attempts than those without it. The study has been published in JAMA Network Open.
The team analyzed the data of all the patients and controlled for factors such as depression, sleep disorders, and diabetes. They found that age and sex did not appear to affect the connection between RLS and suicide risk.
Muzi Na, Broadhurst Career Development Professor for the Study of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Penn State, said in a statement:
After controlling for these factors, we still didn’t see the association decrease, meaning RLS could still be an independent variable contributing to suicide and self-harm. We still don’t know the exact reason, but our results can help shape future research to learn more about the mechanism.
RLS can be difficult to diagnose. It occurs in both children and adults, with those in middle age being the worst affected. What exactly it is that causes the disease is still unknown. Although, it is believed to have something to do with genetics. It has also been linked to iron deficiency, diabetes, certain medications, and pregnancy, among other things. It has even been connected to high blood pressure and heart attacks, and now to depression and suicidal thoughts as well.
Xiang Gao, director of Penn State’s Nutritional Epidemiology Lab and senior author of the study, explained:
Our study suggests that restless legs syndrome isn’t just connected to physical conditions, but to mental health, as well. And, with RLS being under-diagnosed and suicide rates rising, this connection is going to be more and more important. Clinicians may want to be careful when they’re screening patients both for RLS and suicide risk.
The researchers admit that there are some limitations to their study. For instance, even though the cohort was relatively large, it may not be representative of the wider population as the patients were all commercially insured Americans under the age of 65. However, the team is hopeful that future studies may back up their findings and allow them to uncover more about the poorly understood yet distressing condition of RLS.
