The Humanistic and Economic Burden of Restless Legs Syndrome.
RLSOBJECTIVES: To evaluate the humanistic and economic burden of a restless legs syndrome (RLS) diagnosis with regard to health-related quality of life, work productivity loss, healthcare resource use, and direct and indirect costs.


METHODS
Self-reported data came from the 2012 National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS), a large, annual, nationally representative cross-sectional general health survey of US adults.


METHODS
RLS patients (n = 2,392) were matched on demographic and health characteristics to Non-RLS respondents via propensity score matching differences between groups were tested with Bivariate and multivariable analyses.


RESULTS
RLS patients had significantly lower health-related quality of life scores: Mental Component Summary (44.60 vs. 48.92, p<.001), Physical Component Summary (40.57 vs. 46.78, p<.001), Health Utilities (.63 vs. .71, p<.001) and higher levels of work productivity loss in the past seven days including absenteeism (8.1% vs. 3.9%, p<.001), presenteeism (26.5% vs. 15.8%, p<.001), and overall productivity loss (30.1% vs. 18.1%, p<.001) as well as general activity impairment (46.1% vs. 29.7%, p<.001) [corrected]. RLS patients had significantly higher healthcare resource use in the past 6 months than non-RLS patients: healthcare provider visits (7.46 vs. 4.42%, p<.001), ER visits (0.45 vs. 0.24, p<.001), and hospitalizations (0.24 vs. 0.15, p<.001). RLS patients also had higher estimated direct and indirect costs than non-RLS patients. Finally, it was found that across outcomes increasing severity is associated with increased economic and humanistic burden for RLS patients.


CONCLUSIONS
RLS patients suffer a greater humanistic and economic burden than those without RLS. Moreover as severity increases so does the burden of RLS.
UCB Pharma, Smyrna, Georgia, United States of America.
Tracy
T
Durgin
Kantar Health, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
Edward A
EA
Witt
UCB Pharma, Smyrna, Georgia, United States of America.
Jesse
J
Fishman
D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069597:Presenteeism / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology