Background: We aimed to investigate of chronic venous insufficiency on patients with sleep disorder due to restless legs syndrome.
Method: Five hundred forty-one cases on whom polysomnography was performed due to sleep disorder were evaluated retrospectively. Forty patients with restless legs syndrome were determined. They were examined by history, physical examination, and duplex ultrasonography in terms of chronic venous insufficiency. The sleep stage rates of both groups were compared (that the rate of total sleep time in polysomnography to sleep stages is expressed as minute and percentage has been defined as sleep stage rate).
Result: Chronic venous insufficiency was identified in 20 out of 40 patients (group 1; female, 90%). In group 2, there were patients with only restless legs syndrome but with no chronic venous insufficiency (female, 80%). The mean ages of both groups were 56.4 ± 11.8 and 54.3 ± 14.7 years. Stage 1 sleep rate in group 1 was 5% ± 2.7 and in group 2 was 8% ± 3.8 (p = 0.006). Periodic limb movement index (polysomnography finding evaluating involuntary leg movements during sleep) was 11.4 ± 17.5 in group 1, and it was 29.4 ± 37.9 in group 2 (p = 0.006).
Conclusion: We recommend that chronic venous insufficiency should be investigated in patients with primary restless legs syndrome diagnosis.
Keywords: Venous insufficiency; restless legs syndrome; sleep disorder.