Abstract
Restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/WED) is prevalent during pregnancy. We investigated the prevalence of RLS/WED among 81 high-risk pregnant women requiring hospitalization, at a perinatal medical center in Japan. We also assessed the relationship between RLS/WED and clinical features as well as delivery outcomes in these subjects. A definite or probable RLS/WED was identified in 14 subjects (17.3%). Nine of the 14 subjects (64.3%) had symptoms of RLS/WED before pregnancy. No significant differences were found in the delivery outcomes and pregnancy complications or the level of hemoglobin, ferritin, and folate between the RLS/WED group and the non- RLS/WED group. The frequency of detecting RLS/WED in high-risk pregnant Japanese women was greater compared to the frequency in non-pregnant women of the same age group. It is speculated that RLS/WED before pregnancy is associated with high-risk pregnancy. In the future, a prospective study among RLS/WED women from pre-pregnancy will be required.
