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Link Between RLS and Cardiovascular Disease?

Kaiser study examines primary and secondary RLS

Secondary restless legs syndrome (RLS), but not primary RLS, is associated with an increased risk of new-onset cardiovascular disease (CVD) or coronary artery disease (CAD), but both forms of RLS are associated with an increased risk of hypertension, according to a retrospective cohort study of patients from Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

Investigators examined more than 473,358 person-years for rates of primary and secondary RLS, in relation to cardiovascular disease and found:

Primary RLS

Secondary RLS

Number

7,621

4,501

CVD events

478 (HR, 0.95)

451 (HR, 1.33)

CAD events

310 (HR, 0.99)

338 (HR, 1.4)

Hypertension events

1,466 (HR, 1.19)

598 (HR, 1.28)

Citation: Van Den Eeden SK, Albers KB, Davidson JE, et al. Risk of cardiovascular disease associated with a restless legs syndrome diagnosis in a retrospective cohort study from Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Sleep. 2015;38(7):1009-1015.