Restless legs linked to migraine

There is a possible association between restless legs syndrome and migraine. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is an intolerable internal feeling of itching or creeping sensation in the legs that forces the affected person to move his or her legs to get relief. It usually occurs at the end of the day in bed or when seated. It is said that RLS is more likely to occur in people suffering from migraines and (in certain cases) depression. Being older and having migraines for a long time seem to raise the risk of developing RLS. To examine the association between migraine and RLS, researchers at the University of Munster investigated the prevalence of RLS in 411 patients with migraine and the same number of controls who had no history of headache suggestive of migraine. The results showed that RLS was more prevalent in the migraine group than in the control group. And to add to this, patients with migraine showed a trend towards worse symptoms of RLS than patients who suffer only from RLS. Similarly, the rates of depression were not significantly different in the 71 migraine patients with RLS and 340 suffering from migraine without RLS. It was also found that migraine patients with RLS were significantly older than patients with migraine only. Though these results point to a possible link between migraine and RLS, more research is warranted to arrive at a clearer picture.