Restless legs syndrome is contributing to fatigue and low quality of life levels in hemodialysis patients.

Aim: To examine whether hemodialysis (HD) patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) are subjects of greater fatigue and impaired quality of life (QoL) compared to HD patients without RLS.

Methods: Eighty five stable HD patients participated in this study. According to their RLS status, the patients were divided into the RLS group (n = 23) and the non-RLS group (n = 62). QoL, fatigue, sleep quality, daily sleepiness and depression symptoms were assessed by using various questionnaires. Finally, biochemical parameters including iron, ferritin, hemoglobin, hematocrit and parathormone were assessed.

Results: The HD patients with RLS scored worse in all the questionnaires used in the study (P < 0.05). The patients with RLS were more likely to receive the HD therapy on the morning shift, whilst 43.5% of the RLS patients reported to experience the RLS symptoms also during HD. The severity of RLS was correlated with fatigue, depression score and sleep quality (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: HD patients with RLS are subject to lower QoL related parameters and greater fatigue compared to HD patients without RLS. RLS should be successfully managed in order to improve the QoL of the sufferers.