Evaluation of Inflammation in Restless Legs Syndrome

Objective: Restless Legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder characterised by an irresistible urge to move the legs. The pathogenesis of RLS has not been clearly identified besides some new studies supporting the role of inflammation. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), plateletto-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and monocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) ratio (MHR) have been used as markers of systemic inflammation recently. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of RLS by determining the levels of serum inflammatory biomarkers among RLS patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 102 RLS patients and 51 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Complete blood count, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, HDL, bilirubin and uric acid measurements, and NLR, PLR and MHR values were assessed and compared between the two groups. Results: RLS patients had higher values of neutrophil counts and lower values of lymphocyte counts compared to the control group (p=0.01 and p=0.02, respectively). The other parameters measured were similar for the two groups (all comparisons p>0.05). The NLR was statistically higher in RLS patients compared to the healthy volunteers, while both groups did not differ for the PLR and the MHR (p=0.01, p=0.47 and p=0.97, respectively). Conclusion: In this study, we demonstrated that RLS patients had high values of neutrophil counts, low values of lymphocyte counts and high NLR, which are consistent with the response to systemic inflammation. Our study supports the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of RLS.