ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleep-related movement disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to move the legs accompanied by paresthesia and/or dysesthesia that begins or worsens in the evening and night and that is partially or totally relieved by movement. Many studies have investigated the association between RLS and cardiovascular risk factors, particularly hypertension, leading to conflicting results. The aim of this study was to assess the association between RLS and hypertension considering also other cardiovascular risk factors that could act as confounders. METHODS: In all, 1709 participants of an on-going adult population-based study performed in South Tyrol, northern Italy, were enrolled. RLS was assessed through face-to-face interviews according to current International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group diagnostic criteria. The presence of hypertension was self-reported and determined by questionnaires administered by trained study nurses. RESULTS: The association between RLS and hypertension was not significant after adjustment for age, sex, diabetes mellitus, history of myocardial infarction, raised blood lipids and body mass index (odds ratio 1.24, 95% CI 0.85-1.80, P = 0.271). CONCLUSION: Despite the small sample size of this study, RLS and hypertension were not associated in our adult population after adjustment for possible confounding factors. The presence of other cardiovascular risk factors could play a role as a confounder of this association.
Subject(s)
Hypertension/complications , Restless Legs Syndrome/complications , Restless Legs Syndrome/epidemiology , Cardiovascular Diseases/complications , Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Italy/epidemiology , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The hypothesis of a genetic component in the etiology of migraine is getting a foothold. However, to explore genetic associations, precision in clinical phenotypization is crucial. For this reason, migraine-specific questionnaires, well discriminating between primary headaches, are required when large numbers of individuals need to be assessed. METHODS: We adapted and translated in two languages, German and Italian, the Finnish Migraine-Specific Questionnaire for use in family studies. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: This adaptation proved to be reliable when differentiating from primary headaches, and to be in very good agreement with the standard for comparison. However, discriminating between migraine with and without aura still relays on a specialist evaluation. This article describes the validation of this questionnaire.
Subject(s)
Family Health , Migraine Disorders/genetics , Surveys and Questionnaires , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Finland , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Germany/ethnology , Headache/diagnosis , Humans , Italy/epidemiology , Language , Male , Middle Aged , Migraine Disorders/diagnosis , Migraine Disorders/epidemiologySubject(s)
Carotid Artery, Internal, Dissection/etiology , Carotid Artery, Internal, Dissection/metabolism , Homocysteine/blood , Methionine/adverse effects , Vertebral Artery Dissection/etiology , Vertebral Artery Dissection/metabolism , Adult , Carotid Artery, Internal/metabolism , Carotid Artery, Internal/pathology , Carotid Artery, Internal/physiopathology , Carotid Artery, Internal, Dissection/physiopathology , Folic Acid/therapeutic use , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Methionine/metabolism , Risk Factors , Up-Regulation/physiology , Vertebral Artery Dissection/physiopathologySubject(s)
Blood/microbiology , Staphylococcus/classification , Bacterial Typing Techniques , DNA, Bacterial/analysis , Female , Humans , Male , Nucleic Acid Hybridization/methods , Nucleic Acid Probes , Sampling Studies , Sensitivity and Specificity , Staphylococcal Infections/diagnosis , Staphylococcus/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
We conducted an epidemiological survey of epilepsy among males born in 1967 who were called for selection for military service from the Lombardy region in northern Italy. Of 54,520 subjects, 258 had active epilepsy (prevalence, 0.47%). Idiopathic partial epilepsy was most common (29.1%), and generalized idiopathic and/or symptomatic epilepsy was least common (3.8%). In the year preceding the interview, 66.9% of the subjects had been free of generalized tonic-clonic seizures, 57.6% had been free of minor seizures, and 36.9% were seizure-free. Case histories revealed a background of febrile convulsions in 18.9% of subjects, status epilepticus in 11.3%, and a family history of epilepsy in 18.9%. Physical and mental development was normal in 75.5% of the subjects. Education level of subjects was lower than a control group, and the unemployment rate was the same as the local rate.
