RLS in middle aged women and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in their offspring.
BACKGROUND
Previous studies have suggested that attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and restless legs syndrome (RLS) could share some common genetic backgrounds, but the effect of these genetic components could be modest. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a large-scaled cross-sectional study to examine whether women with a child with ADHD had a higher risk of having RLS than women of unaffected children.


METHODS
We included 65,554 women free of diabetes, arthritis, and pregnancy in the current analyses. Information on RLS was assessed using a set of standardized questions. Participants were considered to have RLS if they met four RLS diagnostic criteria recommended by the International RLS Study Group and had restless legs ≥5 times/month. Information on ADHD in offspring was collected via questionnaire.


RESULTS
We observed a significant association between presence of ADHD in the offspring and risk of having RLS; the multivariate-adjusted OR for RLS was 1.27 (95% CI: 1.15, 1.41; P<0.0001), after adjusting for age, body mass index, number of deliveries during life time and other covariates.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that mothers of children with ADHD had an increased risk of having RLS. Further studies are warranted to explore biological mechanisms underling this association.
Gao
Xiang
X
Department of Nutrition, Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA. xiang.gao@channing.harvard.edu
Lyall
Kristen
K
Palacios
Natalia
N
Walters
Arthur S
AS
Ascherio
Alberto
A
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
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