Association of BST1 polymorphism with idiopathic restless legs syndrome in Chinese population.

BACKGROUND

Parkinson's disease (PD) and restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/WED) are both common movement disorders. Based on their clinical overlap, association studies of PD and RLS/WED have been conducted for many years.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether or not the genetic risk factor of PD was also associated with RLS/WED.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We included 102 idiopathic RLS/WED patients and 189 matched controls from southeast China. The clinical data included the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group Rating Scale, the subtypes of RLS/WED symptoms (painful or other discomfort), the comorbidities, the pregnancy history of female patients, the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire. Risk gene analysis between RLS/WED and control groups including 21 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) was conducted. Genotyping was done by Sanger sequencing.

RESULTS

We found that rs4273468 polymorphism of BST1 gene increased the risk of idiopathic RLS/WED patients in southeastern Chinese population (P = <0.001, OR = 2.85, p = 0.019 after Bonferroni correction). Moreover, the haplotype of G-G (rs4698412-rs4273468) was significantly associated with Chinese RLS/WED patients (p = <0.001).

CONCLUSION

BST1 may contribute to the development of RLS/WED. Further studies on larger cohorts are needed to confirm these findings.