THE RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE ACCURATELY MEASURES THE IMPACT OF SUFFERING FROM RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS) ON QUALITY OF LIFE

Linda Abetz, Susan M. Vallow, Jeff Kirsch, Richard P. Allen, Tinna Washburn, Christopher J. Earley,

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), an overwhelming urge to move the legs due to uncomfortable sensations in the legs, often causes sleep disturbance, which leads to daytime tiredness or fatigue. Since the impact of this condition on quality of life (QoL) is personal and subjective, it is best measured by asking the patients themselves about how it affects their lives. As a result, the Restless Leg Syndrome Quality of Life (RLSQoL) questionnaire was developed to measure the effects of RLS on patients' sleep, emotional well-being, social life, and work life. RLSQoL answers can be used to calculate a single score ranging from 0-100, representing the impact of RLS on a person's QoL. In a study to be published in Value in Health in March/April 2005, Abetz et al. analysed the RLSQoL scores of 85 adults in the U.S. to assess whether the RLSQoL provides an appropriate and accurate measure of the impact of RLS on QoL. Abetz et al found that the questions in the RLSQoL measure related, but different, aspects of the same underlying concept. It was also found that a person's questionnaire score generally only changes when the impact of RLS on QoL has changed. RLSQoL scores were different for people with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms, with greater impact on QoL for people with more severe RLS. Abetz et al. have shown that the RLSQoL questionnaire can be reliably used to assess the impact of RLS on patients' lives.

Value in Health Volume 8 Issue 2 Page 157 - March 2005
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