Visceral Adiposity Index and Insulin Resistance in Restless Legs Syndrome

Objectives: It has been reported that restless legs syndrome (RLS) is seen at a higher rate in obese and diabetic patients than in the normal population. In this study, we aimed to investigate obesity, insulin resistance (IR), and visceral adiposity index (VAI) rates and the relationship of these values with the severity of RLS in individuals without a diagnosis other than RLS. Methods: This prospective study was conducted with 149 patients diagnosed with RLS and 105 healthy volunteers. Patients were evaluated with the RLS Severity Rating Scale and classified according to symptom severity. Demographic characteristics of the patients, iron, inflammation, and blood cholesterol levels were measured, and body mass indexes (BMI), VAI, and IR values were calculated. Results: A majority (64.8%) of the patients were female and the symptoms were severe in 35.6%. C-reactive protein, BMI, and VAI levels were found to be significantly higher in patients with RLS than in the control group (p<0.001). The number of IR and obese patients in the RLS group was significantly higher than the control group. In patients with severe RLS symptoms, the VAI levels and the ratio of those with IR were significantly higher than in those with mild symptoms (p=0.006, p=0.001). Conclusion: It was shown that patients with RLS had a higher rate of IR, VAI, and obesity compared to the control group. Although VAI and IR were significantly higher in patients with severe RLS symptoms, we did not find a relationship between obesity and disease severity. VAI and IR parameters could be useful markers for assessing the risk of developing RLS and disease prognosis.