WebMD Medical News Laura J. Martin, MD Oct. 10, 2011 -- Millions
of Americans with restless legs syndrome (RLS) may have an
increased risk for high blood pressure, one of the biggest risk
factors for heart disease. In a new study, middle-aged women
with the most frequent RLS episodes were 41% more likely to have
high blood pressure than women without the disorder, and the
prevalence of high blood pressure increased with RLS symptom
frequency. The findings strongly suggest that restless legs
syndrome increases the risk for high blood pressure, but more
research is needed to confirm the association, says researcher
Salma Batool-Anwar, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and
Harvard Medical School. “We cannot say from this study that
restless legs syndrome causes blood pressure to rise, but we did
see a significant relationship between the severity of (RLS)
symptoms and prevalence of hypertension,” she tells WebMD. More
than 5 million people in the United States have moderate to
severe restless legs syndrom