Increased nocturnal periodic limb movements in rheumatoid arthritis patients meeting questionnaire diagnostic criteria for restless legs syndrome

BACKGROUND: Based on questionnaire criteria, the sensorimotor disorder restless legs syndrome (RLS) has been reported to have a higher prevalence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients than in the general population. There has been some speculation that peripheral arthritic symptoms may allow false positive responses to questionnaire criteria. This study evaluates whether RA patients meeting RLS questionnaire criteria also have objective evidence of increased periodic limb movements (PLMs) characteristic of RLS. METHODS: Participants were recruited from RA clinic. Questionnaire data collected at study entry included: pain scores, rheumatoid arthritis disease activity index, Epworth sleepiness scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index and RLS diagnostic criteria. Each participant was provided a PAM-RL actigraphic monitor, which attached to the ankle. This device was worn for two consecutive nights then returned for data download. Laboratory data including hemoglobin, iron studies, renal function and C-reactive protein levels were collected. RESULTS: Of the 57 participants, 23 met RLS diagnostic criteria. Those who met RLS criteria demonstrated higher mean frequency of nocturnal PLMs (19.63/hour; SD:21.13) than those who did not meet RLS criteria (11.13/hour; SD:12.10; p = 0.033). There were no significant differences between groups in terms of patient characteristics, disease activity or duration measures. Patients meeting RLS criteria did have poorer sleep quality measures (p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: RA patients who met RLS diagnostic criteria demonstrated higher frequencies of nocturnal PLMs than RA patients who did not meet criteria for RLS. This finding supports use of the RLS diagnostic criteria in helping to differentiate between RA arthritic symptoms and RLS. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2474-15-378) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.