Is primary sarcopenia more common in patients with restless legs syndrome?

This study aimed to investigate the frequency of primary sarcopenia in individuals with and without restless legs syndrome (RLS). In this cross-sectional study, 114 patients who presented to our outpatient clinic for the first time and were diagnosed with RLS and 147 patients without RLS were consecutively included. Patients with malignancy, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, or diseases that may cause secondary sarcopenia or neuropathy were excluded from the study. The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 criteria for the diagnosis of sarcopenia and the International RLS Study Group criteria for the diagnosis of RLS were applied. The association between RLS and sarcopenia was analyzed using a logistic regression analysis. There were no significant differences in terms of chronic diseases. While there was no significant difference between the groups with and without RLS (70.11 ± 9.56 vs 71.76 ± 9.61) in terms of age ( P  = .170), females were significantly higher in the RLS group ( P  = .001). The rate of sarcopenia was significantly higher in patients with RLS (54% vs 37%, P  = .005). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis of sarcopenia and sex (female), it was determined that both were associated with RLS [odds ratio 1.941 (95%) confidence interval 1.107–3.402, P  = .021; odds ratio 2.733, (95%) confidence interval 1.442–5.177, P  = .002], respectively). Primary sarcopenia is more common in patients with RLS than in those without RLS. Screening for sarcopenia should be considered in patients with restless leg syndrome.