Skeletal Muscle Morphology in Patients with Restless Legs Syndrome

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the cellular and structural properties of skeletal muscle in restless legs syndrome (RLS). Twenty patients and 16 controls were included. Aerobic performance was assessed using a submaximal test. On muscle biopsies taken from the tibialis anterior, fiber distribution and fiber area were analyzed together with parameters surveying the microvascularization, especially the tortuosity, which is expressed as a percent of muscle fiber perimeter in contact with the wall of the microvessel, length of capillary/perimeter of fiber (LC/PF) index. The RLS group had significantly lower predicted maximal oxygen uptake (p = 0.01) and significantly higher LC/PF index (p = 0.01) compared to the controls. The higher capillary tortuosity in RLS patients indicates the occurrence of significant remodeling in capillary geometry in RLS.