Risk Factors and Its Relationship with Chronic Diseases in Medical Faculty Students

Summary:

In our study, we aimed to reveal the frequency, risk factors and relationship with chronic diseases of
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)/Willis Ekbom's Disease (WEH) in Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa,
Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty students. A total of 354 third and fourth year medical school students
were included in the study, which was planned as a cross-sectional, analytical research between May
2018 and June 2018. The students were diagnosed with RLS/WEH using the ICSD3 (International
Classification of Sleep Disorders-3) diagnostic criteria, after a 31-item questionnaire in which their
sociodemographic characteristics, RLS/WEH risk factors and chronic diseases were questioned. Chi-
square test and Mann Whitney U test were used to evaluate the difference between the groups in
the analyses. A p<0.05 value was accepted for statistical significance. Out of a total of 354 medical
school students, 39 (11%) were diagnosed with RLS/WEH. 4 of 30 (8.5%) students (13.3%) who
smoke, 6 (7.7%) of 78 students (22%) who use alcohol, and 7 of 87 (24.6%) students who exercise
regularly ( 8% were diagnosed with the disease. Considering their socioeconomic status, 168
students come from high-income families, and 9 (5.4%) of them are sick and 159 (94.6%) are healthy
(p=0.003). 15.3% of the students have symptoms of anxiety and stress. Of the students without
anxiety and stress symptoms, 93.7% were healthy and 6.3% were sick (p<0.001). 61 of the students
(17.2%) stated that they had a chronic disease. Four (15.4%) of 11 (3.1%) students with depression
had RLS/WEH disease (p=0.005). ). A student has multiple sclerosis and concomitant RLS/WEH
disease. Two students have rheumatologic disease and two students have diabetes mellitus, but
none of them have RLS/WEH. Two of the 19 students (5.4%) with iron deficiency anemia (10.5%) and
two (16.7%) of the 12 students (3.4%) with thyroid disease had RLS/WEH. As a result, RLS/WEH is
seen less frequently in medical school students from high-income families. At the same time,
RLS/WEH is seen less frequently in students who do not experience anxiety and stress, and more
frequently in students with depression.

Keywords: Restless Legs Syndrome, Willis Ekbom Disease, risk factors, chronic diseases

In our study, we aimed to reveal the frequency, risk factors, and relationship with chronic diseases of
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)/Willis Ekbom's Disease (WEH) in Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa,
Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty students. A total of 354 third and fourth-year medical school students
were included in the study, which was planned as cross-sectional, analytical research between May
2018 and June 2018. The students were diagnosed with RLS/WEH using the ICSD3 (International
Classification of Sleep Disorders-3) diagnostic criteria, after a 31-item questionnaire in which their
sociodemographic characteristics, RLS/WEH risk factors, and chronic diseases were questioned. Chi-
square test and Mann Whitney U test were used to evaluate the difference between the groups in
the analyses. A p<0.05 value was accepted for statistical significance. Out of a total of 354 medical
school students, 39 (11%) were diagnosed with RLS/WEH. 4 of 30 (8.5%) students (13.3%) who
smoke, 6 (7.7%) of 78 students (22%) who use alcohol, and 7 of 87 (24.6%) students who exercise
regularly ( 8% were diagnosed with the disease. Considering their socioeconomic status, 168
students come from high-income families, and 9 (5.4%) of them are sick, and 159 (94.6%) are healthy
(p=0.003). 15.3% of the students have symptoms of anxiety and stress. Of the students without
anxiety and stress symptoms, 93.7% were healthy, and 6.3% were sick (p<0.001). 61 of the students
(17.2%) stated that they had a chronic disease. Four (15.4%) of 11 (3.1%) students with depression
had RLS/WEH disease (p=0.005). ). A student has multiple sclerosis and concomitant RLS/WEH
disease. Two students have the rheumatologic disease, and two students have diabetes mellitus, but
none of them have RLS/WEH. Two of the 19 students (5.4%) with iron deficiency anemia (10.5%) and
two (16.7%) of the 12 students (3.4%) with thyroid disease had RLS/WEH. As a result, RLS/WEH is
seen less frequently in medical school students from high-income families. At the same time,
RLS/WEH is seen less frequently in students who do not experience anxiety and stress, and more
frequently in students with depression.