The relationship between restless legs syndrome and motor subtype in patients with de novo Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep-related complication in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The aim of this study was to assess the clinical characteristics associated with the occurrence of RLS in patients with de novo PD.

Methods: Our study included 346 patients with de novo PD. The motor and non-motor status of each patient was assessed using the appropriate scales, and RLS was diagnosed through face-to-face interviews.

Results: The incidence of RLS in patients with PD was 12.7% (44/346), while relative proportion of different motor subtypes was significantly different between PD patients with and without RLS. PD patients with RLS had lower rates of tremor-dominant subtype (25.0% vs. 36.4%) and higher rates of akinetic-rigid subtype (59.0% vs. 54.6%) (P<0.001) than those without RLS. PD patients with the akinetic-rigid subtype had a higher prevalence of RLS (13.6%) than those with tremor-dominant subtype (9.0%) (P=0.020). The significant factors associated with the presence of RLS were modified Hoehn-Yahr stage, motor subtype, and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index total scores.

Conclusion: Our findings indicated a significant relationship between RLS and motor subtype in patients with PD and revealed that the motor subtype is a significant predictor of RLS in patients with PD.