Restless Legs Syndrome in a Community Sample of Korean Adults: Prevalence, Impact on Quality of Life, and Association with DSM-IV Psychiatric Disorders

• Published in: Sleep (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 32; no. 8; pp. 1069 - 1076
• Main Authors: CHO, Seong-Jin, JIN PYO HONG, HAHM, Bong-Jin, HONG JIN JEON, SUNG MAN CHANG, MAENG JE CHO, LEE, Hochang B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Darien, IL American Academy of Sleep Medicine 01.08.2009; Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology; Anxiety Disorders - ethnology; Anxiety Disorders - psychology; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Comorbidity; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depressive Disorder, Major - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder, Major - ethnology; Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health Surveys; Humans; Korea; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - ethnology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Middle Aged; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Nervous system as a whole; Neurology; Panic Disorder - epidemiology; Panic Disorder - ethnology; Panic Disorder - psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Quality of Life - psychology; Restless Legs Syndrome - epidemiology; Restless Legs Syndrome - ethnology; Restless Legs Syndrome - psychology; Risk Factors; RLS, Quality of Life and Psychiatric Disorders; Statistics as Topic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - ethnology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Young Adult; Korea; Human; Sensitivity disorder; Restless legs syndrome; Nervous system diseases; Prevalence; Mental disorder; Adult; Korean; Neurological disorder; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV; Public health; Quality of life
• ISSN: 1550-9109; 0161-8105; 1550-9109
• DOI: 10.1093/sleep/32.8.1069

Conflicting reports on prevalence of RLS exist in Asian countries due to differences in sampling strategies and assessment instruments. We assessed the prevalence, correlates, quality of life, and psychiatric comorbidity of RLS in South Korea. Cross-sectional nationwide survey. Nationally representative sample of 6,509 Korean adults aged 18-64. Face-to-face interviews based on the Korean translation of the four features of RLS defined by the International RLS Study Group (IRLSSG), the Korean version of Composite International Diagnostic Interview (K-CIDI), and EuroQol (EQ-5D) were conducted for all participants. The weighted prevalence of RLS in South Korea was 0.9% (men, 0.6%; women, 1.3%). Subjects with RLS had a lower quality of life according to EQ-5D than those without RLS. Adjusted odds ratio for lifetime diagnosis of DSM-IV major depressive disorder (2.57, 95% confidence interval [1.33, 4.96]), panic disorder (18.9 [4.72, 75.9]) and posttraumatic stress disorder (3.76 [1.32, 10.7]) suggest strong association between RLS and DSM-IV depression and anxiety disorders. Prevalence of RLS estimated based on the IRLSSG diagnostic criteria is substantially lower in South Korea than in Western countries. Differences in culture and risk factors that affect the expression of RLS may vary across the countries.