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Erschienen in:
01.03.2009 | Originalien
Validation of the restless legs syndrome screening questionnaire (RLSSQ)
Erschienen in: Somnologie | Ausgabe 1/2009
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Background
Although the diagnosis of restless legs syndrome (RLS) is largely based on the presence of the four essential criteria, no validated diagnostic questionnaire exists for use in epidemiological studies or clinical practice.
Methods
For this purpose we validated a 10-item patient self-rating questionnaire (maximum total score 10 points) covering the clinical features of RLS and including the essential criteria (items 1–5). The essential criterion 1 was divided into two questions to separately address the unpleasant sensations (item 1) and the urge to move (item 2). The RLS screening questionnaire (RLSSQ) was administered to 329 patients with RLS (213 female; mean age 62.6±11.8 years), 187 control subjects from the general population (113 female; mean age 50.0±13.3 years), and 118 patients with Parkinson’s disease (44 female; mean age 65.1±9.8 years) in whom RLS was excluded.
Results
The mean RLSSQ score in the RLS group was 8.5±1.0 points, compared with 2.2±2.1 points in the general population control group (p<0.0005). Considering an RLSSQ score of 7 points as a positive test result, we found a sensitivity of 97.9% and a specificity of 96.2%. In the Parkinson’s disease control group, the mean RLSSQ score (3.72±2.04) was also significantly lower than in the RLS group (p<0.0005), revealing a specificity of 93.2%.
Conclusion
Because of its high sensitivity and specificity, the RLSSQ proved to be a useful diagnostic instrument.