title: Risk of Restless Legs Syndrome Following Tension-Type Headache: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.
abstract: Migraine and restless legs syndrome (RLS) appear to be associated, but the relationship between tension-type headache (TTH) and RLS is unknown. This nationwide, population-based, retrospective cohort study explored the potential association between TTH and RLS.We identified 15,504 patients with newly diagnosed TTH from 2000 to 2007 and 62,016 individuals without TTH who were selected by frequency matched based on sex, age, and the index year. The study participants were followed until diagnosed with RLS, withdrawal from the NHI program, or the end of 2011. Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify risk factors for RLS in TTH patients.After adjusting for sex, age, comorbidity, and medications, TTH was significantly associated with an increased risk of RLS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.22-2.02). The risk was most prominent in patients aged 20 to 39 years in the TTH group, which exhibited a 2.60-fold higher risk (95% confidence interval = 1.53-4.42) of RLS compared with the non-TTH group. The TTH group had a higher risk of RLS than that of the non-TTH group regardless of sex.Tension-type headache appears to be associated with an increased risk of developing RLS. This similarity to migraines may indicate that headache and RLS have a coincident pathophysiological mechanism, a possibility requiring further study. Clinicians should be more attentive to RLS as a possible comorbidity in patients with TTH.
authors.affiliation: Form the Department of Neurology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan (F-CY, J-TL, C-CL); Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan (T-YL); Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital (H-JC); College of Medicine, China Medical University (H-JC); Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science and School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University (C-HK); Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (C-HK).
authors.forename: Fu-Chi
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Te-Yu
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hsuan-Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jiunn-Tay
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chun-Chieh
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chia-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013624:Taiwan; D018781:Tension-Type Headache / Q000150:complications*