Mental Health, University of Torino, San Luigi Hospital, Orbassano, Italy.
Qual Life Res. 2010 May;19(4):531-7. doi: 10.1007/s11136-010-9614-8. Epub 2010 Feb 27.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sensorimotor disorder characterized by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations in the legs that are relieved by movement. This study evaluated the prevalence of RLS in a consecutive series of cancer patients during chemotherapy and examined the relationship between presence of RLS and quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in these patients.
RLS was assessed according to the International RLS Study Group essential diagnostic criteria in two stages: a screening questionnaire first, followed by a sleep specialist-conducted structured diagnostic interview. The following questionnaires were administered: Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) for Quality-of-life (QoL) assessment; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to evaluate the levels of anxiety and depression; and Mini Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (Mini-MAC) to assess coping styles.
A total of 257 patients were evaluated. Among them 56 were identified by the screening questionnaire to meet the criteria for RLS and 47 of whom were confirmed as affected by RLS after a structured interview, rendering a prevalence rate of 18.3%. RLS was significantly more frequent in women than men (23.7 vs. 11.8%; P = 0.01), and in patients receiving antineoplastic therapies for more than 3 months than their counterpart (21.8 vs. 10.8%; P = 0.03). Compared with those without RLS, patients with RLS had higher levels of anxiety (P = 0.0009) and depression (P = 0.001) and lower quality of life (P = 0.006). Sex-chemotherapy-duration-adjusted odds ratios of anxiety and physical well-being associated with RLS were 1.1 (95% CI 1.00-1.19; P = 0.04) and 0.7 (95% CI 0.43-1.01; P = 0.04), respectively.
The prevalence of RLS in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy is 18.3%, about double of that expected in the general population. The occurrence of RLS is much more frequent in female patients and with longer-term chemotherapy. Cancer patients afflicted by RLS have significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression, and poorer quality of life especially in the physical well-being dimension. Recognition and treatment of RLS in cancer patients is an important target in clinical management and may improve quality of life and overall health outcomes in these patients.
不宁腿综合征（RLS）是一种常见的感觉运动障碍，其特征为腿部出现不适和不愉快的感觉，这些感觉通过运动得到缓解。本研究评估了连续系列癌症患者在化疗期间 RLS 的患病率，并研究了这些患者 RLS 的存在与生活质量、焦虑和抑郁症状之间的关系。
根据国际 RLS 研究组的基本诊断标准，在两个阶段评估 RLS：首先是筛查问卷，然后是由睡眠专家进行的结构化诊断访谈。以下问卷进行了评估：癌症治疗功能评估一般量表（FACT-G）评估生活质量（QoL）；医院焦虑和抑郁量表（HADS）评估焦虑和抑郁水平；和简易心理调整至癌症量表（Mini-MAC）评估应对方式。
共评估了 257 名患者。其中，56 名患者通过筛查问卷符合 RLS 的标准，47 名患者经结构化访谈后被确认为 RLS 患者，患病率为 18.3%。女性 RLS 的发病率明显高于男性（23.7%比 11.8%；P = 0.01），接受抗肿瘤治疗超过 3 个月的患者也高于对照组（21.8%比 10.8%；P = 0.03）。与无 RLS 的患者相比，有 RLS 的患者焦虑程度更高（P = 0.0009）、抑郁程度更高（P = 0.001）、生活质量更低（P = 0.006）。与 RLS 相关的焦虑和身体福祉的性别-化疗-持续时间调整比值比分别为 1.1（95%CI 1.00-1.19；P = 0.04）和 0.7（95%CI 0.43-1.01；P = 0.04）。
化疗癌症患者中 RLS 的患病率为 18.3%，约为普通人群的两倍。女性患者和接受长期化疗的患者 RLS 发生率更高。患有 RLS 的癌症患者焦虑和抑郁程度明显更高，生活质量尤其是身体福祉维度较差。在癌症患者中识别和治疗 RLS 是临床管理的一个重要目标，可能会改善这些患者的生活质量和整体健康结果。
