An Assessment of Restless Legs Syndrome and Sleep Quality in Pregnant Women

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIM: This study was conducted to review Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and some variables believed to be associated with RLS and to assess the relationship between the RLS and sleep quality in pregnant women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 449 pregnant women. The diagnostic criteria developed by the International RLS Study Group were used to assess the diagnosis and severity of RLS, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality. RESULT: The ages of pregnant women in the study group ranged from 18 to 45 years with a mean age of 28.78 +/- 5.31 years. RLS was diagnosed in 114 pregnant women (25.4%). The incidence of RLS was higher in those with a low to average family income, those having a nuclear family, those with a history of a gynecological surgery, those having irregular periods before pregnancy, those with a history of lower back pain during pregnancy and those with a history of macrosomia. No difference in terms of sleep quality was determined in those women with or without RLS. RLS is an important health problem in pregnant women. There is a moderate negative correlation between the severity of RLS and sleep quality. CONCLUSION: It will be advantageous to refer pregnant women with RLS to specialists for final diagnosis and treatment. More extensive studies are required to demonstrate the relationship between RLS and quality of sleep.