title: Systemic lupus and risk of restless legs syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and to compare this to a rheumatic disease sample without SLE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Unselected consecutive female patients were SLE were recruited from a lupus clinic. A RLS questionnaire based on 4 criteria, validated by the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group, was administered during a face-to-face interview. Smoking history and height and weight data were collected. Similar methods were used to determine RLS prevalence in a comparator group of women with rheumatic diseases other than SLE. Controls were frequency-matched by age group (in 5-year age bands) to SLE subjects. Controls were otherwise unselected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We recruited 33 women with SLE and 32 controls. Twelve of 33 female SLE subjects scored positively for RLS (37.5%; 95% CI 22.9, 54.7) compared to 4 of 32 controls (12.5%; 95% CI 5.0, 28.1). Multivariate logistic regression showed that adjusted for age, obesity, and smoking, women with SLE were more likely to have RLS than the female controls (adjusted odds ratio 6.61, 95% CI 1.52, 28.77). In our multivariate analyses of all rheumatic patients, including SLE, the adjusted OR for obesity and RLS was 5.14 (95% CI 1.07, 24.6).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These novel data indicate that RLS is more prevalent in women with SLE than in controls. Although obesity was a significant risk factor for RLS in our sample, the predictive covariates examined were limited.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, 687 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Noura
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Christian A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Pineau
authors.forename: Ann E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Evelyne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vinet
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Sasha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bernatsky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D015995:Prevalence; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires