Abstract

Introduction: Hypertension is one of the most prevalent diseases in the elderly, and the restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a possible concomitant hypertension-related condition with estimated high prevalence among the elderly. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the relationship between hypertension and RLS in the elderly. Materials and methods: In the present case-control study, 250 elderly participants (50 with high blood pressure and 200 with normal blood pressure) in Ilam, Iran, were enrolled. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Berlin questionnaire, the RLS screening questionnaire, and the blood pressure chart. The questionnaires were completed through interviews, and the blood pressure measurements were recorded by the researchers, who were nurses. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 16 software. The independent t-test, regression, Mann-Whitney, and Chi-square tests were conducted, and p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results:The findings indicated that 17 (34) of the participants with hypertension had RLS, while 33 (66) did not have RLS. Further, 66 (33) of the participants with normal blood pressure did not have RLS while 134 (67) had no RLS. In addition, there was no relationship between hypertension and RLS (P>0.05). Conclusion: Considering that no significant relationship was found between RLS and hypertension in the present study, further studies are needed in different cities in Iran, to obtain more accurate and reliable information. © 2018 Medknow. All rights reserved.