Prevalentie en impact van het restlesslegssyndroom in de huisartsenpraktijk

Abstract

Baggen MEJM, Timmermans EAY, Moes KJ, De Weerd AW. Prevalence and impact of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) in primary care. Huisarts Wet 2007;50(4):134-9. Objective To obtain insight into the prevalence and impact of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) in Dutch primary care. Design A quantitative study based on questionnaires and a diagnostic interview. Methods Patients aged 18 years and older with at least twice-weekly RLS symptoms with moderate or severe impact (based on a screener questionnaire) were asked to participate in a detailed diagnostic interview and to complete validated questionnaires on the severity of symptoms, sleep-related problems and quality of life. A random selection of 10% of patients were interviewed by telephone by an RLS-expert to validate the diagnosis. Results A total of 2,121 patients completed the screener questionnaire. Of these, 106 had RLS (prevalence after adjustment for dropouts: 6%); 23.6% had a moderate to severe form. RLS had a negative impact on sleep and quality of life. Only a minority of patients identified themselves as RLS-patients (17/106) and/or used medication to treat their symptoms (9/106). Patients with moderate to severe RLS hardly used medication to treat symptoms (3/25). Conclusion RLS occurs frequently in Dutch primary care but is underdiagnosed and undertreated.