Abstract
Restless legs syndrome is a neuromotor problem which is more common among pregnant women. Several studies have reported different prevalences for this disorder. Combining the results of these studies reveals reliable evidences for policymakers. This study aims to estimate the total prevalence of restless legs syndrome in pregnant women using meta-analysis. Different databanks (PubMed, Web of Sciences, EMBASE, EBSCO, Ovid, Scopus and Google Scholar) were searched using relevant keywords. After limiting the search strategy, reviewing the abstracts and full texts and quality assessment, eligible papers were selected for meta-analysis. Cochrane and I-squared indices were used to detect the degree of heterogeneity. The point prevalences were combined using random effects model. Studies that influenced the heterogeneity were detected using sensitivity analysis, while meta-regression models were applied to determine the factors that most affected the heterogeneity. Out of 26 eligible articles, 20.5% of pregnant women (95% confidence interval 16.5–24.2) were suffering from restless legs syndrome compared to 2.9% in Japan to 43.7% in Iran. Our meta-analysis showed that approximately one-fifth of pregnant women in the world have restless leg syndrome.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- IRLSSG:
-
International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group
- RLS:
-
Restless legs syndrome
References
Hensley JG, Shamim-Uzzaman Q. Prevalence of Willis–Ekbom disease/restless legs syndrome during pregnancy: a review. Open Sleep J. 2013;6(1):54–62.
Oyieng’o DO, Kirwa K, Tong I, Martin S, Antonio Rojas-Suarez J, Bourjeily G. Restless legs symptoms and pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Clin Ther. 2016;38(2):256–64.
Innes KE, Kandati S, Flack KL, Agarwal P, Selfe TK. The relationship of restless legs syndrome to history of pregnancy-induced hypertension. J Women’s Health. 2016;25(4):397–408.
Gupta R, Dhyani M, Kendzerska T, Pandi-Perumal S, BaHammam A, Srivanitchapoom P, et al. Restless legs syndrome and pregnancy: prevalence, possible pathophysiological mechanisms and treatment. Acta Neurol Scand. 2015. doi:10.1111/ane.12520.
Srivanitchapoom P, Pandey S, Hallett M. Restless legs syndrome and pregnancy: a review. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2014;20(7):716–22.
Ma S, Shang X, Guo Y, Liu G, Yang J, Xue R. Restless legs syndrome and hypertension in Chinese pregnant women. Neurol Sci. 2015;36(6):877–81.
Shang X, Yang J, Guo Y, Ma S, Jia Z, Xue R. Restless legs syndrome among pregnant women in China: prevalence and risk factors. Sleep Breath. 2015;19(3):1093–9.
Terzi H, Terzi R, Zeybek B, Ergenoglu M, Hacivelioglu S, Akdemir A, et al. Restless legs syndrome is related to obstructive sleep apnea symptoms during pregnancy. Sleep Breath. 2015;19(1):73–8.
Liu G, Li L, Zhang J, Xue R, Zhao X, Zhu K, et al. Restless legs syndrome and pregnancy or delivery complications in China: a representative survey. Sleep Med. 2016;17:158–62.
Hennessy MD, De La Torre FA. Heredity of restless legs syndrome in a pregnant population. J Obstet Gynaecol Neonat Nurs. 2013;42(6):737–48.
Alves DAG, de Carvalho LBC, de Morais JF, do Prado GF. Restless legs syndrome during pregnancy in Brazilian women. Sleep Med. 2010;11(10):1049–54.
Meharaban Z, Yahya S, Sadegniiat K. Restless legs syndrome during pregnancy and preterm birth in women referred to health centers of Ardabil. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2015;17:12.
Patrick L. Restless legs syndrome: pathophysiology and the role of iron and folate. Altern Med Rev. 2007;12(2):101–13.
Dzaja A, Wehrle R, Lancel M, Pollmächer T. Elevated es-tradiol plasma levels in women with restless legs during pregnancy. Sleep. 2009;32(2):169–74.
Pereira JC Jr, Pradella-Hallinan M, Pessoa HdL. Imbalance between thyroid hormones and the dopaminergic system might be central to the pathophysiology of restless legs syndrome: a hypothesis. Clinics. 2010;65(5):547–54.
Tunç T, Karadağ YS, Doğulu F, İnan LE. Predisposing factors of restless legs syndrome in pregnancy. Mov Disord. 2007;22(5):627–31.
Moosazadeh M, Nekoei-Moghadam M, Aliram-Zany M, Amiresmaili M. Identification of Mutation of glucose-6-phosphate dehy-drogenase (G6PD) in Iran: meta-analysis study. Iran J Public Health. 2013;42(9):1007.
Moosazadeh M, Amiresmaili M, Aliramezany M. Prevalence of G6PD deficiency in Iran, a mata-analysis. Acta Med Iran. 2014;52(4):256.
Moosazadeh M. Meta‑analysis of prevalence of smoking in 15–64‑year‑old population of west of Iran. Int J Prev Med. 2013;1(1):1108–14.
von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gotzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP, et al. The strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. Prev Med. 2007;45(4):247–51.
Harano S, Ohida T, Kaneita Y, Yokoyama E, Tamaki T, Takemura S, et al. Prevalence of restless legs syndrome with pregnancy and the relationship with sleep disorders in the Japanese large population. Sleep Biol Rhythm. 2008;6(2):102–9.
Wesstrom J, Skalkidou A, Manconi M, Fulda S, Sundstrom-Poromaa I. Pre-pregnancy restless legs syndrome (Willis-Ekbom disease) is associated with perinatal depression. J Clin Sleep Med. 2014;10(5):527–33.
Balendran J, Champion D, Jaaniste T, Welsh A. A common sleep disorder in pregnancy: restless legs syndrome and its predictors. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2011;51(3):262–4.
Vahdat M, Sariri E, Miri S, Rohani M, Kashanian M, Sabet A, et al. Prevalence and associated features of restless legs syndrome in a population of Iranian women during pregnancy. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2013;123(1):46–9.
Sarberg M, Josefsson A, Wirehn AB, Svanborg E. Restless legs syndrome during and after pregnancy and its relation to snoring. Acta Obstet Gynaecol Scand. 2012;91(7):850–5.
Chen PH, Liou KC, Chen CP, Cheng SJ. Risk factors and prevalence rate of restless legs syndrome among pregnant women in Taiwan. Sleep Med. 2012;13(9):1153–7.
Sikandar R, Khealani BA, Wasay M. Predictors of restless legs syndrome in pregnancy: a hospital based cross sectional survey from Pakistan. Sleep Med. 2009;10(6):676–8.
Ismailogullari S, Ozturk A, Mazicioglu MM, Serin S, Gultekin M, Aksu M. Restless legs syndrome and pregnancy in Kayseri, Turkey: a hospital based survey. Sleep Biol Rhythm. 2010;8(2):137–43.
Facco FL, Kramer J, Ho KH, Zee PC, Grobman WA. Sleep disturbances in pregnancy. Obstet Gynaecol. 2010;115(1):77–83.
Hubner A, Krafft A, Gadient S, Werth E, Zimmermann R, Bassetti CL. Characteristics and determinants of restless legs syndrome in pregnancy: a prospective study. Neurology. 2013;80(8):738–42.
Mindell JA, Cook RA, Nikolovski J. Sleep patterns and sleep disturbances across pregnancy. Sleep Med. 2015;16(4):483–8.
Manconi M, Govoni V, De Vito A, Economou NT, Cesnik E, Casetta I, et al. Restless legs syndrome and pregnancy. Neurology. 2004;63(6):1065–9.
Minar M, Habanova H, Rusnak I, Planck K, Valkovic P. Prevalence and impact of restless legs syndrome in pregnancy. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2013;34(5):366–71.
Suzuki K, Ohida T, Sone T, Takemura S, Yokoyama E, Miyake T, et al. The prevalence of restless legs syndrome among pregnant women in Japan and the relationship between restless legs syndrome and sleep problems. Sleep. 2003;26(6):673–7.
Uglane MT, Westad S, BACKE B. Restless legs syndrome in pregnancy is a frequent disorder with a good prognosis. Acta Obstet Gynaecol Scand. 2011;90(9):1046–8.
Ramirez JO, Cabrera SA, Hidalgo H, Cabrera SG, Linnebank M, Bassetti CL, et al. Is preeclampsia associated with restless legs syndrome? Sleep Med. 2013;14(9):894–6.
Neau JP, Marion P, Mathis S, Julian A, Godeneche G, Larrieu D, et al. Restless legs syndrome and pregnancy: follow-up of pregnant women before and after delivery. Eur Neurol. 2010;64(6):361–6.
Kemlink D, Plchova L, Srutkova Z, Pavlickova J, Sonka K, Parizek A. Restless legs syndrome during pregnancy in Czech women. Sleep Med. 2013;14:e167.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical approval
This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.
Funding
None.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Makrani, A.H., Afshari, M., Kheradmand, M. et al. Prevalence of restless legs syndrome in pregnant women: a meta-analysis. Sleep Biol. Rhythms 16, 3–10 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41105-017-0126-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41105-017-0126-6