Restless Legs Syndrome and the Eyes: Spectral-Domain Optic Coherence Tomography Study.

BACKGROUND: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a movement disorder thought to be caused by impaired dopamine action. This study aimed to evaluate possible changes in ocular biometric and optic coherence tomography (OCT) parameters in RLS patients. METHODS: This is a prospective, cross-sectional comparative study. Consecutive primary and secondary (with iron-deficiency anemia) RLS patients and age-matched and sex-matched controls were enrolled in the study. All participants underwent comprehensive neurological and ophthalmological examinations. Ocular biometric and OCT parameters, such as choroidal thickness, macular thickness, macular volume, ganglion cell layer thickness, inner nuclear cell layer thickness, and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, were compared. RESULTS: Fifty-one RLS patients and 50 healthy controls were included in this study. There was no difference between the groups' refraction status, ocular biometric data (axial length, anterior chamber depth, central corneal thickness), or OCT parameters (choroidal thickness, macular thickness, macular volume, ganglion cell layer thickness, inner nuclear cell layer thickness). Primary and secondary (with only iron-deficiency anemia) RLS patients were compared, and there was no difference in their axial length, anterior chamber depth, central corneal thickness or OCT parameters. No significant relationship was found between disease severity or duration and OCT parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Disease severity and disease duration do not affect OCT parameters in primary or secondary RLS patients. OCT data do not seem to provide information about the course of this disease.

Lack of Association between Pulse Steroid Therapy and Bone Mineral Density in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has been associated with reduced bone mineral density (BMD). The purpose of this study was to determine the possible factors affecting BMD in patients with MS. We included consecutive 155 patients with MS and 90 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Patients with MS exhibited significantly lower T-scores and Z-scores in the femoral neck and trochanter compared to the controls. Ninety-four (61%) patients had reduced bone mass in either the lumbar spine or the femoral neck; of these, 64 (41.3%) had osteopenia and 30 (19.4%) had osteoporosis. The main factors affecting BMD were disability, duration of MS, and smoking. There was a negative relationship between femoral BMD and EDSS and disease duration. No association with lumbar BMD was determined. There were no correlations between BMD at any anatomic region and cumulative corticosteroid dose. BMD is significantly lower in patients with MS than in healthy controls. Reduced BMD in MS is mainly associated with disability and duration of the disease. Short courses of high dose steroid therapy did not result in an obvious negative impact on BMD in the lumbar spine and femoral neck in patients with MS.

Evaluation of temperament and character features as risk factors for depressive symptoms in patients with restless legs syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep-related movement disorder that is frequently associated with psychological disturbances. Personality traits are of considerable importance with respect to coping with chronic illness and disease vulnerability. This study assessed the temperament and character traits of RLS patients using an approach that involves the psychobiological model of personality. METHODS: The personality features of 65 newly diagnosed and untreated RLS patients with no neurological or psychiatric diseases and 109 healthy controls were determined using the Temperament and Character Inventory and compared using covariance analyses. The International RLS Study Group Severity Scale was used to assess the severity of the RLS symptoms, and the Beck Depression Inventory was used to assess the presence and severity of depressive symptoms. RESULTS: RLS patients scored significantly higher than healthy controls on the temperament dimension of harm avoidance (HA, p=0.02) and significantly lower on self-directedness (SD, p=0.001). No significant difference was observed in terms of the temperament dimension of novelty seeking (p=0.435). HA scores were significantly correlated with the BDI score but not with the RLS severity or duration. CONCLUSIONS: High HA and low SD scores are the main characterizing personality features of RLS patients. These personality dimensions may be among the factors predisposing patients to development of the depressive symptoms that are frequently associated with RLS.