Restless legs syndrome associated with cardiac failure and aggravated after valvular replacement : Vesper's curse?

Abstract

The restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder characterized by symptoms of discomfort (usually paresthesias) in the limbs, predominating in the afternoon, present mainly at rest and alleviated by movement. The symptoms usually appear in the late afternoon or at night, which may bring on a significant increase in sleep latency and contribute to poor sleep quality1. Since the prevalence of RLS increases with age2, heterogeneous conditions are likely to be identified in association with other illnesses typical of advanced age, making diagnoses more complex, and indicating the importance of studying these secondary forms, and their possible physiopathological mechanisms. We report a case of RLS associated to important abnormalities of the cardiac function in an elderly patient, who underwent several cardiac surgical interventions, and discuss the possible implications of this cardiac dysfunction in the etiology and maintenance of the motor symptoms. This case is reported after approval of our Institution and informed patient's consent.