title: Restless legs syndrome and quality of sleep in patients with glomerulopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite a confirmed association between restless legs syndrome (RLS) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), there is no study on patients presenting with nephrotic syndrome (NS). To investigate the frequency of RLS and poor quality sleep in NS-patients secondary to primary glomerulopathy with nearly normal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and its associated factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with NS, defined as 24 h-urine protein greater than 3.5 g/1.73 m2 and hypoalbuminemia, (n = 99, 53 women) and a mean age of 36±11 years were studied. Age and sex-matched controls were used to compare RLS and poor sleep quality prevalence. Standardized RLS questionnaire formulated by the International Restless Legs Syndrome and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RLS was more frequent in NS-patients than in controls (22.8 vs. 4.0%, p = 0.01). Mean time since diagnosis (52.2±34.1 vs. 28.6±22.5 months, p < 0.01) and 24 h-proteinuria (3.7±1.3 vs. 2.6±0.6 g/1.73 m2, p = 0.001) were greater in NS-patients with RLS those not presenting RLS. Association between RLS with 24 h-proteinuria [OR = 2.31; p = 0.007; 95% CI 1.87-2.89] and time since diagnosis [OR = 1.10; p = 0.003; CI = 1.02-1.39] were identified even after controlling for age, GFR and diabetes. Sleep quality was poor in NS-patients than in controls (mean PSQI score 7.35±3.7 vs. 5.2±3.0, p = 0.003). In NS-patients, only RLS was associated with poor sleep quality (OR = 1.20; p = 0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Poor quality sleep and RLS are frequent in NS-patients without ESRD. Pathophysiology of this association must be further investigated.
authors.forename: Alexandre Braga
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Libório
authors.forename: João Paulo Lima
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Natália Feitosa Arraes
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Minete
authors.forename: Cecília Alencar
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Diógenes
authors.forename: Luiza de Andrade Braga
authors.initials: Lde A
authors.lastname: Farias
authors.forename: Veralice Meireles Sales
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: de Bruin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009404:Nephrotic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult