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Abstract Details
Prevalence of restless legs syndrome in a tertiary cohort of ambulant patients with chronic liver disease
Ma MX1, Huang Y1,2, Adams LA1,2, Gilpin R1, Garas G1,2, MacQuillan G1,2, Jeffrey GP1,2, Nicholas RM1. Intern Med J. 2018 Mar;48(3):347-350. doi: 10.1111/imj.13719.
Author information
1
WA Liver Transplantation Service, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
2
School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Abstract
A cross-sectional survey of 188 ambulant patients with chronic liver disease was performed to determine the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) using a validated patient completed questionnaire. Patient responses were verified by standardised telephone interview. RLS was identified in 64 (34%) patients. Significantly, more patients with cirrhosis had RLS than patients without RLS (43.9 vs 23.3%, P = 0.003, respectively). Cirrhotic patients with a history of hepatic encephalopathy were also more likely to have RLS than patients without hepatic encephalopathy (odds ratio = 4.33, 95% confidence interval = 1.40-13.37, P = 0.011). Patients with chronic liver disease may be at risk for RLS; early detection and treatment may improve patient outcomes.