The effect of ropinirole on the quality of life in patients with restless legs syndrome in Korea: an 8-week, multicenter, prospective study.
OBJECTIVE
Dopamine agonists are first-line drugs for treating the symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS). However, few studies have investigated the effect of dopamine agonists on the quality of life (QoL) in RLS patients. We conducted a study to determine whether ropinirole exerts positive effects on the QoL in RLS patients and to analyze the underlying factors.


METHODS
Primary RLS patients from eight medical centers were recruited in the study. They were evaluated in the baseline phase using various questionnaires including the Korean versions of the International Restless Legs Scale (K-IRLS), RLS QoL questionnaire (K-RLSQoL), and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). After taking ropinirole for 8 weeks the same questionnaires were again completed as a re-evaluation. We analyzed the statistical difference using a paired t-test, a Pearson's correlation, and a stepwise multiple regression in order to identify the factors associated with the QoL change.


RESULTS
A total of 107 subjects, including 65 (60.7%) females, completed this study. They were aged 51.68±14.80 years (mean±SD) and had a symptom duration of 8.8±9.0 months. After treatment with ropinirole, there were significant improvements on the K-RLSQoL, SF-36, and K-IRLS. The Pearson's correlation analysis showed that the improvement of QoL in RLS patients was significantly correlated with the severity of RLS (r=0.236, p<0.014) at baseline.


CONCLUSIONS
The results from this study suggest that treatment with ropinirole can improve the QoL in RLS patients. The improvement in the QoL is more related with the improvement of RLS symptoms.
Department of Neurology, Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea. ; Korean Sleep Research Society, Seoul, Korea.
Yong Won
YW
Cho
Seung Bong
SB
Hong
Do Hyung
DH
Kim
Ho Won
HW
Lee
Eun Yeon
EY
Joo
Jee Hyun
JH
Kim
Won Chul
WC
Shin
Kee Hyung
KH
Park
Sun Jung
SJ
Han
Hyang Woon
HW
Lee
dopamine agonists; quality of life; restless legs syndrome; sleep