Excessive Daytime sleepiness in idiopathic restless legs syndrome: characteristics and evolution under dopaminergic treatment.
OBJECTIVE
Whereas insomnia is frequent in restless legs syndrome (RLS), little is known about daytime sleepiness. We studied a series of 27 consecutive patients with idiopathic RLS in order to identify the characteristics and evolution of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) under dopaminergic treatment.


METHODS
Patients were assessed by clinical examination, questionnaires and video-polysomnography (PSG). Sleepy patients, as defined by Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) >10, were also assessed by the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). We excluded RLS patients with other sleep-wake disorders, in particular chronic sleep deprivation.


RESULTS
Mean age was 56 years, the mean International RLS Study Group Rating Scale score was 24 at baseline. Ten (37%) of the 27 patients reported EDS. RLS patients with sleepiness had a higher amount of total sleep time (p = 0.029) on PSG and a mean sleep latency of 6.4 min on MSLT. No other differences regarding clinical or polysomnographic parameters were found. RLS severity improved in all patients under dopaminergic treatment (p = 0.001); this was also the case for the ESS score in sleepy patients (p = 0.007).


CONCLUSIONS
In our series of RLS patients, EDS was common, characterized by longer sleep (PSG) and reduced sleep latencies on MSLT. Under dopaminergic treatment, both RLS severity and ESS improved.
Kallweit
Ulf
U
Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Zurich, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland.
Siccoli
Massimiliano M
MM
Poryazova
Rositsa
R
Werth
Esther
E
Bassetti
Claudio L
CL
D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000209:etiology*; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D018491:Dopamine Agonists