Restless leg syndrome linked with heart and kidney disease

People with restless leg syndrome (RLS) are more vulnerable to health issues including heart and kidney disease, new research has found.

According to a study by Memphis VA Medical Center, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and the University of California, Irvine, published in the Journal of Sleep Research, RLS is also linked with stroke and earlier death.

Researchers pointed out that while previous studies had indicated connections between RLS and other health conditions, this represents the strongest evidence thus far of a tangible link.

For example, the incidence rate of stroke and heart disease was four times higher among test subjects with RLS, while the figure for kidney disease was three times higher.

However, researchers stressed that their findings do not mean RLS directly brings on these conditions. 

Instead, they believe there is a possibility that RLS itself is a consequence of other health conditions, while genetic factors might also play a part in its onset.