A new study published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association discovered that there may be a link to middle-aged Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) and high blood pressure.The researchers surveyed nearly 100,000 women with an average age of 50 about RLS and high blood pressure. Approximately 80 percent responded, and the researchers discovered that more than 15 incidences of RLS also had a 33 percent prevalence of high blood pressure.
"If future prospective research confirms this association, then early diagnosis and treatment of RLS might help prevent hypertension," said co-author Dr. Salma Batool-Anwar, a researcher in the Sleep Medicine Division at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. "In some cases, the treatment of RLS is as simple as prescribing iron supplements, therefore, women who have symptoms suggestive of RLS should talk to their physicians."
Baby boomers who are looking into continuing their active lifestyle as they reach their retirement age may want to keep this in mind. That includes men, as previous research has linked RLS to high blood presssure in them, too.
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