ABSTRACT
Dopamine agonists, particularly nonergot dopamine agonists such as pramipexole, have become the mainstay of therapy for patients with symptoms of restless legs syndrome [RLS]. This study was designed to evaluate the factors affecting the efficacy of pramipexole in patients with RLS. Fifty-nine eligible RLS patients referred to neurology clinic of Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital [Tehran, Iran] were recruited in this study. All of the patients received an oral dose of 0. 1 8 mg pramipexole. The severity of RLS symptoms were evaluated including sleep disorder, symptomatic days per week and symptomatic hours per day, both at the beginning and at the end of follow-up time. Different baseline and follow-up variables were also recorded and their relationships with the outcomes were assessed. The mean severity values of different symptoms significantly decreased after treatment with pramipexole [P0.00l]. Female gender [P0.05] and duration of treatment [P0.05] were significant factors to achieve >50% reduction in symptomatic days per week and symptomatic hours per day. Moreover, the cutoff point of 3.5 mo for duration of treatment could potentially differentiate >50% reduction in severity of sleep disorder from the ones with <50% reduction with sensitivity and specificity of 56.8% and 78.6%, respectively. Our findings show that female gender and duration of treatment were the factors affecting the effectiveness of pramipexole in RLS patients. If tolerated by the patients, a longer duration of treatment with pramipexole is more effective in RLS