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. 2025 Apr 29:13:20503121251336900.
doi: 10.1177/20503121251336900. eCollection 2025.

Stroke-related restless leg syndrome in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke patients

Do Xuan Tinh  1 , Dinh Viet Hung  1 , Do Duc Thuan  2 , Dang Phuc Duc  2 , Dang Minh Duc  2 , Nguyen Dang Cuong  2 , Phan The Ha  2 , Nguyen Dang Hai  2 , Nguyen Duc Thuan  3 , Tran Minh Tuan  4 , Huynh Ngoc Lang  1 , Nguyen Trong Nghia  5 , Pham Ngoc Thao  6
Affiliations

Stroke-related restless leg syndrome in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke patients

Do Xuan Tinh et al. SAGE Open Med. .

Abstract

Objectives: The incidence of stroke-related restless legs syndrome (RLS) has been reported to be high but varies regionally. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the incidence and some of the factors related to restless legs syndrome after stroke onset in patients in Vietnam.

Methods: Data were collected from a total of 423 patients who had stroke, including 283 ischemic and 140 hemorrhagic strokes, which were confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging within 7 days after the onset of symptoms, at the Department of Stroke, Military Hospital 103 from September 2023 to April 2024. Restless legs syndrome was diagnosed 1 month after the stroke onset according to the criteria of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group.

Results: Restless legs syndrome was diagnosed in 59 patients (11.6%), including 37 (13.1%) who had ischemic stroke and 12 (8.6%) who had hemorrhagic stroke. An increased rate of restless legs syndrome was observed in stroke patients with brain lesions in the thalamus and lentiform nucleus; those who smoked; and those with a family history of restless legs syndrome.

Conclusions: This study found that the incidence of restless legs syndrome after stroke was 11.6% overall and 13.1% and 8.6% after ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, respectively. Lesion in the thalamus and lentiform nucleus, smoking history, and family history of restless legs syndrome were the predictors of restless legs syndrome after stroke onset.

Keywords: brain lesions; hemorrhagic stroke; ischemic stroke; restless legs syndrome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
A flowchart illustrating the number of stroke patients.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Comparison of the mean NIHSS and mRS scores between the RLS and non-RLS groups. mRS: Modified Rankin Scale; NIHSS: National Institute of Health Stroke Scale; RLS: restless legs syndrome.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Stroke lesions in the brain area on MRI. (a) Lesion in thalamus showed on MRI–DWI. (b) Lesion in thalamus showed on MRI–ADC image. (c) Lesion on putamen showed on MRI–DWI. (d) Lesion on thalamus indicated on MRI–ADC image. ADC: apparent diffusion coefficient; DWI: diffusion-weighted imaging; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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