Sleep medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of acute dopamine-agonist treatment in restless legs syndrome on heart rate variability during sleep.
To compare heart rate variability (HRV) changes in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) and in healthy subjects, and to evaluate HRV before and after treatment with pramipexole in RLS patients. ⋯ The repetitive abnormal autonomic response to PLMS might play a role in the increased cardiovascular risk proposed for RLS patients. Pramipexole reduced the number of PLMS and the amplitude of the autonomic response to residual PLMS, without effects on the tonic sympathovagal regulation. D3 receptors in the sympathetic pre-ganglionic neurons of the spinal intermediolateral columns might be a target of pramipexole. The normalization of the HR response could be relevant in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and associated autonomic dysfunctions in patients with RLS.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized trial of pramipexole for patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) and RLS-related impairment of mood.
Patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) have an elevated prevalence of mood disorders compared with the general population. We investigated the change of RLS-related mood impairment during treatment of RLS with pramipexole, a dopamine D(3)/D(2) agonist. ⋯ In patients with RLS-related mood disturbance, pramipexole improved RLS while also improving RLS-related mood impairment. Tolerability of pramipexole was similar to that in previous studies.