Abstracts

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological movement disorder occurring in 10-15% of the general population. The prevalence of RLS increases with advancing age and is more common in several neurological disorders such as Parkinson[apos]s disease. Epilepsy is also a common neurological disorder with significant associated morbidity and impact on quality of life. Any disorder which adversely affects quality of life may further compound the problems associated with epilepsy. We report the severity and frequency of RLS in patients with localization-related epilepsy., All epilepsy patients seen in the outpatient clinic over a one month period were screened for movement disorders. Patients with severe language impairment, cognitive impairment and stroke were excluded from this study population. Fifty-one consecutive patients with localization-related (complex partial) epilepsy who met inclusion criteria were seen in the outpatient clinic during this period. Each patient was evaluated with the International Restless Legs Study Group (IRSLSG) questionnaire, NIH RLS diagnostic criteria and comprehensive sleep screening. Restless legs syndrome quality of life questionnaires were also administered to a subset of those patients., Restless legs occurred in 14 of 51 (28%) of the localization-related epilepsy patients. Thirteen of the 14 patients reported at least moderate impact on quality of life parameters related to RLS. An insufficient number of patients with primary generalized epilepsy were screened for adequate statistical analysis during the study period. A number of anti-epileptic agents were used in this study population. Based on patient reported histories, there appears to be a trend toward improvement of RLS symptoms following treatment with carbamazepine, gabapentin, pregabilin, and lamotrigine. Some patients reported worsening of symptoms with valproate and phenytoin. Since a number of anti-epileptic drugs were used in this patient population, there were insufficient numbers of patients treated with each medication for reliable statistical analysis., We identified RLS in patients with epilepsy at a frequency that exceeds the general population. Furthermore, these patients were more likely to have moderate to severe RLS than would typically be seen in patients of similar age, and most reported at least moderate impact on quality of life. It is likely that there are differences in the interaction between RLS and various anti-epileptic medications. More detailed analysis of the effect of medication selection as well as quality of life parameters related to RLS is needed.,