title: Prevalence of restless legs syndrome in the rural town of Cassia dos Coqueiros in Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence and evaluate the characteristics and severity of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in an urban Brazilian community.
  
  
  METHODS
  A transversal study was conducted over an 18-month period. A neurologist conducted 1155 interviews using the diagnostic criteria of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The lifetime prevalence of RLS was found to be 6.40%. Prevalence during the last year, the last month, and the last week were found to be 5.71%, 5.36%, and 4.15%, respectively. A greater proportion of women met diagnostic criteria for RLS compared to men (OR: 2.63, CI 95%: 1.54-4.51). Furthermore, participants with low monthly family income (<$1575 USD) had a lower prevalence of disease compared to those with a high monthly family income (>$1575 USD) (OR: 2.91, CI 95%: 1.41-5.98).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first epidemiologic study of RLS conducted in a Brazilian population. The overall prevalence of disease and the greater proportion of RLS in women found in this study are similar to the findings of other studies conducted in western countries. The association of RLS with high family income is unpublished and should be confirmed in subsequent studies.
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo, Department of Neuroscience and Sciences of Behavior, Division of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. eckeli_alan@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Alan Luiz
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Eckeli
authors.forename: Lívia Leite Goes
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Gitaí
authors.forename: Fabíola
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dach
authors.forename: Henrique
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ceretta
authors.forename: Heidi Hausein
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Sander
authors.forename: Afonso Dinis Costa
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Passos
authors.forename: Gilmar Fernandes
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: do Prado
authors.forename: Regina Maria França
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Fernandes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult