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Restless legs syndrome as a comorbidity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Part of BMC Neurology
Independent publisher
This describes who publishes a source, not how reliable it is.
Open source (opens in a new tab)Link checked August 2026
About this source
A pooled analysis of eight studies on how often restless legs occurs in people with ALS, finding it in roughly one in six and several times more often than in people without ALS.
Where this source is used
Used in 2 places across 1 domain.
Questions
Medical Care
Symptom Management
- What is restless legs, and how is it handled safely with ALS/MND?
Supports this
“In ALS/MND, iron stores tend to run higher than in people without it, which cuts against the usual link between restless legs and iron deficiency, so the authors say the mechanism is likely more complicated.”
Its Discussion reports that people with ALS often have higher ferritin than controls, says this contrasts with the usual link between restless legs and iron deficiency anaemia, and concludes the mechanism is likely more complex. That is its only ALS-specific finding on iron. The general low-iron link appears only in its Introduction, as background about the wider population.
ALS patients often exhibit higher ferritin levels compared to controls
Discussion - What is restless legs, and how is it handled safely with ALS/MND?
Supports this
“Restless legs can occur in people with ALS/MND.”
Pooled eight studies covering 792 people with ALS and 716 people without it, and found restless legs in about 17 in every 100 people with ALS, several times the rate in the comparison groups. The authors' own caution is that the certainty of the evidence is downgraded, because most of the studies measured this only as a side finding and there are not many of them.
RLS is significantly more prevalent in ALS patients, potentially worsening sleep and quality of life, mental health, and social well-being.
Conclusion
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