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Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis Ekbom Disease pp 93–100Cite as

Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Changes Associated with Periodic Limb Movements

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Abstract

Periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) are known to be associated with significant heart rate (HR) variability (HRV) and PLMS with arousals are associated with a higher degree of autonomic activation. PLMS are also known to be associated with statistically significant transient rises in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP). Such repetitive abnormal HR and BP rises can play a role in increased cardiovascular risk in restless legs syndrome (RLS) patients with PLMS thus making PLMS a potential and an emerging cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk factor. Hypertension, heart disease and stroke are suspected to be potential effects of PLMS. PLMS are embedded in the general sleep oscillatory pattern involving not only the motor system but also the autonomic function, cortical electroencephalographic (EEG) activities, the respiratory system, and several other functions too. This chapter will review the present data available to establish the complex relationship of PLMS with HR and BP.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sleep Research Centre, Department of Neurology I.C., Oasi Research Institute (IRCCS), Via C. Ruggero 73, 94018, Troina, Italy

    Raffaele Ferri

  2. Department of Neurology, Rockingham Memorial Hospital, 2010 Health Campus Drive, Harrisonburg, VA, 22801, USA

    Fouzia Siddiqui

Authors
  1. Raffaele Ferri
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  2. Fouzia Siddiqui
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Correspondence to Raffaele Ferri .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sleep and Epilepsy Center, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Civic Hospital, Lugano, Switzerland

    Mauro Manconi

  2. Sleep Research Institute, Madrid, Spain

    Diego García-Borreguero

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Ferri, R., Siddiqui, F. (2017). Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Changes Associated with Periodic Limb Movements. In: Manconi, M., García-Borreguero, D. (eds) Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis Ekbom Disease. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6777-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6777-3_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-6775-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-6777-3

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