SALT LAKE CITY – A strong relationship exists between restless legs syndrome and major depressive disorder, a community-based study suggests.
Of 42 patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS), approximately 21% had a lifetime diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD), compared with 8% of 982 control patients, for a 2.8 adjusted odds ratio for MDD risk. Patients participated in the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area study, Dr. Hochang B. Lee reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Participants completed a seven-item RLS questionnaire, and the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule was administered by a trained lay interviewer. Results were adjusted for relevant sociodemographic and health-related variables, noted Dr. Lee of the department of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
The findings support those from a number of other studies in clinical samples, which also have suggested a relationship between depression and RLS, according to the investigator. Few studies, however, have focused on the link between MDD and RLS.
Future studies should focus on possible pathophysiologic mechanisms for the link between these common conditions, Dr. Lee concluded.