Migraines Not More Prevalent in RLS Patients

Although research has associated migraines with RLS, the results of a new study suggest that migraines are not more common in patients with RLS.

Previous studies have evaluated the prevalence of RLS among patients with migraine. However, a study published online on January 16, 2014, in Headache investigated the prevalence of migraine in 265 patients diagnosed with RLS. The researchers collected information on RLS characteristics, severity, treatments, and family history, as well as family history of headaches.

A total of 163 patients experienced headaches, 40 (15.1%) of whom were diagnosed with migraines. When this was compared with population-based prevalence studies from Turkey, migraines were not significantly more prevalent among patients with RLS. Patients with migraines had significantly more severe cases of RLS than those without headaches and were more likely to have depression and a family history of RLS and headaches than all other patients.

“Although the increase in these scores does not constitute a relationship etiopathogenetic, it suggests a correlation between the type cross-model nociceptive systems,” the authors of the study note.

They conclude that more research is needed to better evaluate the prevalence of migraines in patients with RLS.