Prevalence of Restless Leg Syndrome in Iran: A Systematic Review and Metanalysis

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor disorder that causes sleep deprivation. RLS is characterized by discomfort in the legs and severe desire to move them during sleep. Different prevalence rates about RLS are reported in Iran. This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to estimate the prevalence of RLS in Iran.
By searching the national and international databases such as Scientific Information Database (SID), MagIran, Google Scholar, IranMedex, Science Direct, PubMed and Scopus, 30 articles published between 2005 and 2014 were found. The results of the studies were combined using the random-effects model in the meta-analysis. Heterogenei-ty among studies was assessed using the I2 index and P value less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Data were analyzed using STATA software version 11.2.
In studied articles, 8459 participants were entered into meta-analysis and the prevalence of RLS was esti-mated as 30% (95% CI: 24%-36%). According to the meta-regression diagram, the prevalence of RLS decreased by increasing the sample size and the year of study, indicated possible rising of the prevalence, but these changes were not statistically significant. The prevalence of RLS in patients with kidney disease (45%; 95% confidence interval: 33% to 57%), patients with diabetes (35%; 95% confidence interval: 22% to 49%), and patients with neurological disease (33%; 95% confidence interval: 10% to 57%) was more than other groups.
Given the high estimated prevalence of RLS in this study, it is recommended to identify at-risk indi-viduals and provide educational materials for them.