title: Race and restless legs syndrome symptoms in an adult community sample in east Baltimore.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Due to the relative absence of African-Americans seeking treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS) in specialty clinics, a lower prevalence of RLS among African-Americans than Caucasians has been suggested. We compared the prevalence of RLS in African-Americans and Caucasians in a biracial community sample as part of Wave IV of the Baltimore Health and Mental Health Study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects included 1071 adults [358 African-Americans (35.0%), and 633 Caucasians (61.8%), and 33 others]. Diagnosis of RLS was based on endorsement of RLS symptoms on a seven-item RLS questionnaire during a household interview. Adjusted odds and 95% confidence intervals were calculated based on logistic regression models with diagnosis of RLS as the main outcome variables and African-American race as the main predictor while adjusting for other relevant sociodemographic and/or health-related variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of RLS in this population was 4.1%. The rates were similar for African-Americans (4.7%) and Caucasians (3.8%). After adjustment for age, gender, medical comorbidities, and socioeconomic status, no difference in the prevalence of RLS was found between African-Americans and Caucasians.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RLS is comparably prevalent among African-American and Caucasian adults in the general population. Barriers affecting access to care settings for African-American RLS patients should be investigated in the future.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 550 North Broadway, Suite 308, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. hochang@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Hochang B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wayne A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Hening
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Earley
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.forename: Constantine G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Lyketsos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015142:Baltimore; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*