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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Avicenna J Med 2018; 8(01): 18-23
DOI: 10.4103/ajm.AJM_123_17
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

The prevalence of restless leg syndrome among pregnant Saudi women

Mohmd Khan
Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Division, Sleep Disorders Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, King Saudi University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
,
Noha Mobeireek
College of Medicine, King Saud University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
,
Yassar Al-Jahdali
College of Medicine, King Saud University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
,
Nujood Al-Dubyan
College of Medicine, King Saud University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
,
Anwar Ahmed
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
,
Majed Al-Gamedi
Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Division, Sleep Disorders Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, King Saudi University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
,
Abdullah Al-Harbi
Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Division, Sleep Disorders Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, King Saudi University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
,
Hamdan Al-Jahdali
Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Division, Sleep Disorders Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City, King Saudi University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
› Author Affiliations Financial support and sponsorship Nil.
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Abstract

Objectives: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is common among pregnant women, but it has not been documented in pregnant Saudi Arabian women. The main purpose of this study was to estimate the extent of the prevalence of RLS and identify both the associated factors and the associated risk factors among pregnant Saudi women. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women visiting obstetric clinics at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh (KAMC-Riyadh) over the period from June 1 to November 1, 2014. We interviewed the participants and collected demographic data, number of pregnancies, duration of pregnancy, comorbidities, and symptoms of RLS. The diagnosis of RLS is based on the four criteria designated by the International RLS Study Group. Results: The total number of participants enrolled was 517, and the mean age was 30.11 ± 5.42 years. The prevalence of RLS was 21.3% (110/517) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 17.83%-25.06%). RLS symptoms were more common among women in the third trimester (24.1%) compared to the second trimester (14.3%) and first trimester (13.6%), P = 0.043. The stepwise multivariate logistic model identified insomnia (odds ratio [OR]: 3.6, 95% CI: 2.167–6.017, P = 0.001), and poor sleep quality (OR: 4.9, 95% CI: 1.473-16.454, P = 0.010) were associated with RLS. Conclusion: RLS occurs in two of ten pregnant women visiting obstetric clinics at KAMC-Riyadh and is strongly associated with insomnia and poor sleep quality. Studies are needed to explore the causality of these associations.

Keywords

Body mass index - Epworth Sleepiness Scale - excessive daytime sleepiness - Pitts - restless legs syndrome - the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group


Publication History

Article published online:
12 August 2021

© 2018. Syrian American Medical Society. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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