International urology and nephrology
-
Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Racial differences in restless legs symptoms and serum ferritin in an incident dialysis patient cohort.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS), a debilitating sleep disorder that is frequently reported by CKD patients on dialysis, may be more common in whites than in non-whites. Iron deficiency is associated with RLS, and serum ferritin is higher among African Americans compared to Caucasians in the general population. No prior studies have compared restless legs symptoms and serum ferritin levels of African-American and those of the Caucasian patients on dialysis. ⋯ Further study of racial and iron status relationships could advance the understanding of RLS pathophysiology, and RLS is an important patient outcome to monitor, as revised anemia and iron protocols are implemented in the clinical setting.