A recent South Korean study revealed that patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) are more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease.

The study showed that RLS patients had a 1.6% incidence of Parkinson’s compared to 1.0% in healthy controls, with a shorter time to diagnosis over 15 years.

Restless legs syndrome causes an uncomfortable sensation in the legs that improves with movement and worsens during rest. Parkinson’s disease is known to be associated with decreased dopamine levels in the brain, with dopamine agonists used as a primary treatment to improve motor control. Previous studies questioned whether RLS results from the same dopamine-related mechanisms linked to Parkinson’s.

Researchers analyzed South Korea’s national health coverage data from 2002 to 2019, including about 10,000 RLS patients and an equal number of healthy controls, with an average age of 50 and 62.8% female. Participants were followed for 17 years.

Results showed the overall Parkinson’s incidence was 1.6% among RLS patients, 60% higher than the control group. The study also found that patients treated with dopamine-based therapies, the same used for Parkinson’s, had a reduced incidence of 0.5% compared to 2.1% among untreated patients.

Researchers concluded that RLS patients are more prone to Parkinson’s, with significantly increased risk among those not receiving dopamine-based treatments, who showed earlier Parkinson’s symptoms.

Although the results do not prove that dopamine treatment for RLS prevents Parkinson’s, they indicate a strong link between the two conditions and pave the way for future research on using these treatments to prevent neurological diseases.