The Influence of Physical Discomfort and Sleep Disturbance on the Quality of Life in Patients with Restless Legs Syndrome: A Comparison with Chronic Osteoarthritis

Address for correspondence Yong Won Cho, MD Department of Neurology, Dongsan Medial Center, Keimyung University School of Medicine, 56 Dalseong-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 700-712, Korea Tel: +82-53-250-7830 Fax: +82-53-250-7840 E-mail: neurocho@gmail.com Objectives: The patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) had a lower quality of life (QOL) than normal controls. However, it’s debatable which affects their QOL more, disturbing pain or poor sleep quality. We investigated the factors that influence the QOL in patients with RLS, and compared the results to those of patients with chronic osteoarthritis (OA) who were having similar physical discomfort. Methods: This is a prospective case-control study comparing the QOL of 153 RLS patients with those of 153 OA patients. To evaluate the degree of physical discomfort, the QOL and the quality of sleep, all subjects completed various questionnaires, which included the SF-36, the Visual Analogue Scale for pain, Korean versions of the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the insomnia severity index. We used the χ-test, t-test, analysis of covariance, Pearson’s correlation, multiple stepwise regression methods for analysis. Results: The QOL in patients with RLS was higher than those with OA, though pain severity (physical discomfort) was similar in both groups. However, the quality of sleep in RLS patients was poorer than those with OA. Through multiple stepwise regression analysis, we can recognize that the most important factor affecting the QOL in RLS patients was the severity of their physical symptoms. Conclusions: We found the quality of sleep had less of an influence on the QOL than the physical discomfort of the patients with RLS. J Korean Sleep Res Soc 2012;9:34-40