Suicide Risk Higher in Patients With Restless Legs Syndrome

Individuals with restless legs syndrome (RLS) could be at an increased risk for suicide or self-harm, according to the results of a recent study.

Read More...
Gap In Youth Suicide Rates May Be Shrinking
Addressing the Suicide Epidemic Among American Youth

Previously, RLS has been found to be associated with suicidal ideation. To explore its effects on suicide rates in the US, researchers conducted a cohort study using national claims data from 2006 to 2014 including 24,179 participants with RLS and 145,194 age- and sex-matched participants without RLS at baseline. All participants were free of suicide, self-harm, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at baseline.

During a mean follow-up of 5.2 years, 119 cases of suicide or self-harm were identified. The risk of suicide or self-harm was higher among those participants with RLS than those without (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.66) after adjustment for lifestyle factors, chronic diseases, and medication use. When those with depression, insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and other common chronic conditions were excluded, the significant association between RLS and self-harm persisted (adjusted HR 4.14).

“Restless legs syndrome was associated with a high risk of suicide and self-harm, and the risk was independent of most identified diseases and conditions,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Zhuang S, Na M, Winkelman JW, et al. Association of restless legs syndrome with risk of suicide and self-harm [published online August 23, 2019]. JAMA Netw Open. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.9966.