Increased nocturnal periodic limb movements in rheumatoid arthritis patients meeting questionnaire diagnostic criteria for restless legs syndrome.

Background Based on questionnaire criteria, the sensorimotor disorder restless legs syndrome (RLS) has been reported to have a higher prevalence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients than in the general population. There has been some speculation that peripheral arthritic symptoms may allow false positive responses to questionnaire criteria. This study evaluates whether RA patients meeting RLS questionnaire criteria also have objective evidence of increased periodic limb movements (PLMs) characteristic of RLS.