title: What is the clinical significance of periodic limb movements during sleep?
abstract: To understand better the clinical impact of periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) we analysed data from 51 patients who, following an adaptation night, presented a PLMS index > 5 during two consecutive nocturnal polysomnographic recordings. In the morning following each recording patients completed a questionnaire including five visual analogic scales (VAS): (1) I did not sleep well/I slept very well. (2) I feel very sleepy/I do not feel sleepy at all. (3) I feel very tired/I feel very dynamic. (4) Physically, I do not feel fit/physically, I feel fit. (5) Psychologically, I do not feel fit/psychologically, I feel fit. We compared the responses to these questions with the PLMS index, first inter-individually, then intra-individually between nights.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The inter-individual analysis did not show correlations between the PLMS index and the questions (1) and (2). We found a significant correlation between the PLMS index and the questions (3) (r = -0.29; P < 0.05), (4) (r = -0.30; P < 0.05) and (5) (r = -0.39; P < 0.01). For the intra-individual analysis, we did not find correlations between the PLMS index and questions (1)-(3), but found a significant correlation with questions (4) (r = -0.28; P < 0.05) and (5) (r = -0.36; P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PLMS per se, or the sleep changes induced by them, seem to be associated with decreased physical and psychological fitness on awakening.
authors.affiliation: FORENAP/Centre Hospitalier, Rouffach, France. jose.habarubio@hcuge.ch
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haba-Rubio
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Staner
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.forename: Jean Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Macher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005222:Mental Fatigue / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020189:Nocturnal Myoclonus Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D010809:Physical Fitness; D017286:Polysomnography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires