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Restless legs syndrome in dialysis patients: a comparison between hemodialysis and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

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Abstract

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is common in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). A few studies so far have investigated RLS prevalence in ESRD patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence, characteristics, consequences and predictors of RLS between HD and CAPD patients. We recruited 58 HD and 28 CAPD patients. A neurologist expert in sleep medicine performed RLS diagnosis during a face-to-face interview. The prevalence of RLS was slightly higher in HD than in CAPD patients (19 vs. 10.7%). RLS appeared after the onset of kidney complaint in HD patients; in contrast, in CAPD patients RLS preceded the occurrence of renal disease. Five HD patients reported that RLS symptoms occurred throughout the dialysis session. HD patients with RLS+ had a higher mean number of HD sessions per week and a longer mean duration of HD session than the RLS− ones. Prevalence of females was significantly higher in CAPD patients with RLS+ than in the RLS− ones. RLS frequently affects both HD and CAPD patients. RLS impaired sleep in both groups, but use of dopaminergic agents was uncommon in our sample. Dialysis schedule was associated with RLS in HD patients, while female sex was related to RLS in CAPD patients. Awareness concerning RLS identification and treatment in HD and CAPD patients is recommended.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted independently of any commercial entity and it did not receive any funding. The costs of the study (personnel) were covered by the institution of affiliation of the authors. The authors have no other financial disclosures to make and report no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosciences, Santa Maria della Misericordia University Hospital, Udine, Italy

    Giovanni Merlino

  2. Department of Nephrology, Santa Maria della Misericordia University Hospital, Udine, Italy

    Giulio Romano & Domenico Montanaro

  3. Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Udine Medical School, Udine, Italy

    Simone Lorenzut, Giulio Romano, Martina Sommaro, Augusto Fontana, Mariarosaria Valente & Gian Luigi Gigli

Authors
  1. Giovanni Merlino
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  2. Simone Lorenzut
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  3. Giulio Romano
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  4. Martina Sommaro
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  5. Augusto Fontana
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  6. Domenico Montanaro
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  7. Mariarosaria Valente
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  8. Gian Luigi Gigli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giovanni Merlino.

Additional information

G. Merlino and S. Lorenzut contributed equally to this study.

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Merlino, G., Lorenzut, S., Romano, G. et al. Restless legs syndrome in dialysis patients: a comparison between hemodialysis and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Neurol Sci 33, 1311–1318 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-012-0953-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-012-0953-9

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