Restless legs syndrome among blood donors: A systemic review and meta-analysis

Background and ObjectivesRestless legs syndrome (RLS), with adverse health outcomes, has been linked to blood donation, but evidence published thus far has not been rigorously analysed. This systematic review aggregates existing evidence on RLS among blood donors and identifies associated factors worthy of further investigation.Materials and MethodsMEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for articles published through 16 December 2023. Eleven studies from eight countries were selected from 142 publications. The pooled prevalence of RLS was calculated using a random-effects model, with heterogeneity assessed by the Cochran Q and I2 statistics. Meta-regression and sensitivity analyses explored sources of heterogeneity and the robustness of findings.ResultsEleven studies, involving 20,255 blood donors, were included. The pooled prevalence of RLS among blood donors was 10.30% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.54%-16.30%), which was significantly higher than in the general adult population (3.0%, 95% CI: 1.4%-3.8%). Meta-regression identified the year of study and geographical region as significant sources of heterogeneity. From the five studies that used logistic regression analyses, female sex and older age stand out as associated factors. No publication bias was detected, and sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of results.ConclusionOur findings suggest a high burden of RLS among blood donors, underscoring the need for further research with standardized criteria, appropriate design and analytical methodologies to better understand the impact of RLS on individual donors and the global blood supply.