Relationship between Restless Leg Syndrome and Obesity; A Cross-sectional Study
Restless Leg Syndrome and Obesity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55735/hjprs.v3i6.146Keywords:
obesity, relationship, restless leg syndromeAbstract
Background: Restless leg syndrome is a neurological disorder that is recognized by an uncontrollable urge to move legs, mostly due to an uncomfortable sensation. These symptoms become worsen at night and might lead to sleep disturbances. Obese people tend to have decreased dopamine D2 receptor accessibility in their brains. Therefore, obesity can be a risk factor for restless leg syndrome. Objective: To determine the relationship between restless leg syndrome and obesity. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 132 obese people were recruited in the study using a convenient sampling technique. The questionnaire used in this study was the international restless legs syndrome study group rating scale. Both males and females aged between 20 to 45 years were included. Obese pregnant females and obese people who suffered from other chronic musculoskeletal disorders were excluded from this study. All the participants were recruited in this study strictly considering the inclusion criteria of this study. Written consent forms in Urdu and English were employed by the researcher for the signed consent of all the participants. Frequency and percentage were calculated for categorical variables while mean and standard deviation were calculated for qualitative variables. Results: Out of 132 obese people, 57(43.2%) reported having severe discomfort in their legs due to this syndrome while 66(50%) reported suffering from the symptoms twice to thrice a week and 51(38.6%) suffer from these symptoms four to five days a week, which is a higher rate of frequency. This clearly showed a strong relationship showing that obesity might be a risk factor for contributing to the presence of restless leg syndrome in obese people. Conclusion: This study concludes that obesity might be a risk factor for restless leg syndrome. There is a relationship between obesity and restless leg syndrome with increasing age. The occurrence of restless leg syndrome interrelates with obesity and this study showed that the people who suffered from this syndrome also suffer from difficulty in activities of daily living, anxiety, irregular sleep patterns and deep pain in legs and arms which partially released on movement.
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