Does Restless Leg Syndrome Send Nocturnal Blood Pressure Up?

It is a widely asked question whether Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) contributes to the increase in Nocturnal Blood Pressure? A valid answer to the question can be extracted from the reports of Paola A. Lanfranchi, M.D., M.Sc., of the Hôpital du Sacré Coeur de Montréal, and colleagues. Their report published in the April 10 issue of Neurology clearly suggests that RLS may raise nocturnal blood pressure.

The population-based studies show a greater risk of coronary artery disease and hypertension with RLS. However, the reasons behind the higher risk have yet to be explored. In order to establish the relationship between RLS and increased blood pressure the researchers conducted a study on six men and four women. The study involved measuring of changes in both blood pressure and heart rate with periodic leg movements while sleeping. The average age of the patients was 47.3 years and they spent one night at the sleep lab.

Changes in blood pressure related to periodic leg movements during sleep were evaluated with the help of paired t-tests. Relationships between polysomnographic variables and cardiovascular changes were also calculated using Pearson correlation coefficients. These assessments revealed that the blood pressure rises to a significant extent with increased movements during sleep, with or without EEG signs of arousal from sleep.

The investigation showed that periodic leg movements during sleep cause a repetitive increase in cardiac afterload. This could affect the cardiac function and contribute to disease progression in heart transplant and systolic heart failure.

However, the study was conducted on a small sample size and this restricts the accuracy of the correlation or power analyses. Another limitation of the study was that the patients of RLS were untreated during sleep.

Reference: www.neurology.org