Bezmiâlem Science (Oct 2021)

The Frequency of Restless Legs Syndrome and Its Relationship with the Level of Addiction in Smokers

  • Osman GÜLER,
  • Sibel TUNÇ KARAMAN,
  • Okcan BASAT

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14235/bas.galenos.2020.5457
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 4
pp. 481 – 485

Abstract

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Objective:In this study; it was aimed to determine the frequency of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) in smokers and to investigate the relationship with the level of addiction.Methods:This prospective study was designed as a descriptive and single-centered study. Following the ethics committee’s approval, the study was conducted with the smokers who applied to a tertiary hospital for any reason between 01/03/2017 and 01/07/2017. The Restless legs syndrome diagnosis form consisting of the International Restless Leg Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) consensus criteria was applied to all cases. Those who had all five criteria were diagnosed with RLS. The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) was applied to evaluate the nicotine addiction of the participants. Significance was accepted at the level of p<0.05.Results:Most of the 3,011 people included in the study were male (52.3%; n=1.579). According to the FTND, 68.4% (n=2.059) of the participants had medium and high dependence levels. RLS was detected in 9.8% (n=296) of all participants. While the presence of RLS was 6.9% (n=66) in the group with a low level of dependence, it was found to be 11.2% (n=230) in the group with a mediumhigh level of dependence and this difference was found statistically significant (p=0.02).Conclusion:In this study, the rate of RLS was found to be higher in smokers than the general population, and it was found that the incidence of RLS increased as the level of addiction increased.

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