RLS Common Among Female Fibromyalgia Patients

European Neurology reports that research has found that Restless Legs Syndrome is common among female Fibromyalgia patients. The purpose of the researchers’ study was…

…to evaluate the prevalence of RLS in a group of female patients diagnosed with FMS and to compare the occurrence of symptoms of daytime sleepiness and experienced sleep disorders between fibromyalgia patients with or without RLS.

Over 300 female FM patients between the ages of 20 and 60 were asked to complete a questionnaire that was mailed to their homes. The questionnaire consisted of the international RLS study group criteria as well as of questions concerning symptoms of insomnia and daytime sleepiness measured according to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. The participants selected were all diagnosed with Fibromyalgia at Skonviks Rehab between 2002 and 2006.

The results of the completed questionnaires revealed that:

• Approximately 64% of the FM patients also suffer from RLS.
• More patients suffering from both RLS and FM were affected by problems of initiating and maintaining sleep than those suffering from FM only.
• More patients suffering from both RLS and FM did not feel refreshed on awakening compared with those suffering from FM without RLS.

The conclusion of the study is that female FM sufferers who also have Restless Leg Syndrome are more likely to experience daytime sleepiness and sleep disturbances.