Saturday, April 23, 2011
Restless Legs Syndrome, Heat Damage and Heart Attack
Data was presented at a study at the American College of Cardiology about Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and cardiovascular health. RLS affects an estimated 12 million Americans. Researchers measured leg movements in patients with RLS during an overnight sleep study and then assessed their heart health. They divided the patients into two groups - those whose legs twitched more or less than 35 times per hour. Patients whose legs twitched more than 35 times per hour were more likely to have thickened heart muscle. In the three years of follow up, those with the most leg twitches and thickest heart walls were more than twice as likely to have suffered a heart attack or died. It's not clear if treating the RLS lowers cardiovascular risk. The study authors suggest that patients with restless legs symptoms consult with their doctor about monitoring their heart health.
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I would be extremely interested in more of this study. I was diagnosed with PLMD, preiodic limb movement disorder, where my foot moves, not my leg, only after sleeping issues after having 2 heart attacks. However, I have had this foot movement problem since I was a very small, child about age 4 or so and so did my mom and her mom. Strokes run in our family--from clots, I was unique to have a heart attack from clots. If this is all connected, then this sounds hereditary or genetic.
ReplyDeleteIt also sounds like the chicken and the egg problem. Is the RLS or PLMD caused by the same thing that causes our stroke and heart attack clot problem? |Does the heart problem cause the leg problem?