Prevalence of restless legs syndrome among tertiary hospital workers in South-South Nigeria

Abstract

Restless legs syndrome is the third most common sleep disorder and one of the most common causes of severe insomnia. It is characterized by abnormal leg movements that are associated with sleep quality. It is a parasomnia that comprises part of the movement and behavioral disorders related to sleep. The symptoms of restless legs syndrome have variable imprecise descriptions by most people but the most common denominator is that of an unpleasant discomfort or sensation in the legs associated with an urge to move the legs and a transient ease of symptoms on getting the legs to move. Prevalence of this disorder is not known in our population. The aim of this study is to document the prevalence of restless legs syndrome and symptoms of day time sleepiness and their relationship to shift working among the hospital workers. This was a cross-sectional study of the workers in Delta State University Teaching Hospital. A structured questionnaire designed using the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD) was administered to the study participants. There are 1008 workers in the hospital and using a random sampling method of one in five a representative sample of 300 subjects were interviewed. The diagnosis of restless legs syndrome was based on the minimal criteria provided by ICSD and the International Restless Legs Ayndrome Group (IRLSG) criteria. Two hundred and fifty-seven (257) subjects responded (participation rate of 85.6%). This included 138 (57.7%) males and 119 (46.3%) females. The mean age was 32.5 ± 6.9 years. Shift workers constitute 58% of the population studied. The prevalence of RLS was 6.6%. Excessive daytime sleepiness was reported in 20.6% of the study participants, while 3.1% reported having trouble at work due to sleepiness. Among those that meet minimal criteria for RLS 58.8% had excessive daytime sleepiness and 17.6% reported having trouble at work due to sleepiness. Restless legs syndrome was significantly correlated with day time sleepiness and impaired performance at work (p < 0.0001). There was no significant relationship between shift working and restless legs syndrome in this study (p > 0.05). Restless legs syndrome and symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness are prevalent among the study population. Restless legs syndrome when moderate or severe can be quite distressing and seriously disrupt sleep quality which impairs motor function, speech, concentration and decision-making abilities leading to decreased performance at work and increased risk of work-place accidents. Awareness of the burden of this disorder among physicians, other health workers and the public will help to reduce the negative consequences associated with it. I sincerely appreciate the assistance of my house-officers and students who trained as interviewers to assist the neurologist in administering the questionnaire to the participants. I also thank Prof Dosumu for reading through protocol.