J Clin Neurol.  2013 Jan;9(1):51-56. 10.3988/jcn.2013.9.1.51.

The Effect of Ropinirole on the Quality of Life in Patients with Restless Legs Syndrome in Korea: An 8-Week, Multicenter, Prospective Study

• Cho YW
• Hong SB
• Kim DH
• Lee HW
• Joo EY
• Kim JH
• Shin WC
• Park KH
• Han SJ
• Lee HW

• KMID: 2287571
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3988/jcn.2013.9.1.51

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Dopamine agonists are first-line drugs for treating the symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS). However, few studies have investigated the effect of dopamine agonists on the quality of life (QoL) in RLS patients. We conducted a study to determine whether ropinirole exerts positive effects on the QoL in RLS patients and to analyze the underlying factors.
METHODS
Primary RLS patients from eight medical centers were recruited in the study. They were evaluated in the baseline phase using various questionnaires including the Korean versions of the International Restless Legs Scale (K-IRLS), RLS QoL questionnaire (K-RLSQoL), and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). After taking ropinirole for 8 weeks the same questionnaires were again completed as a re-evaluation. We analyzed the statistical difference using a paired t-test, a Pearson's correlation, and a stepwise multiple regression in order to identify the factors associated with the QoL change.
RESULTS
A total of 107 subjects, including 65 (60.7%) females, completed this study. They were aged 51.68+/-14.80 years (mean+/-SD) and had a symptom duration of 8.8+/-9.0 months. After treatment with ropinirole, there were significant improvements on the K-RLSQoL, SF-36, and K-IRLS. The Pearson's correlation analysis showed that the improvement of QoL in RLS patients was significantly correlated with the severity of RLS (r=0.236, p<0.014) at baseline.
CONCLUSIONS
The results from this study suggest that treatment with ropinirole can improve the QoL in RLS patients. The improvement in the QoL is more related with the improvement of RLS symptoms.

Keyword

restless legs syndrome; dopamine agonists; quality of life; sleep

MeSH Terms

Aged
Dopamine Agonists
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Indoles
Prospective Studies
Quality of Life
Restless Legs Syndrome
Surveys and Questionnaires
Dopamine Agonists
Indoles

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Changes in the quality of life after ropinirole treatment. *p<0.05, **p< 0.01, ***p<0.001. EP: emotional problems, K-RLSQoL: Korean version of the restless legs syndrome quality of life questionnaire, PP: physical problems, SF-: SF-36 subscale, SF-36: Short Form 36 Health Survey.

• 

  Fig. 2 Changes in the clinical characteristics after ropinirole treatment. BDI-2: Beck Depression Inventory-2, ISI: Insomnia Severity Index, K-IRLS: Korean version of the International Restless Legs Scale, KESS: Korean version of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, PSQI-K: Korean version of the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. **p<0.01, ***p<0.001.

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