The pathogenesis of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) remains obscure and vague. Emerging evidence suggests that the chronic inflammation and the peripheral nervous system involvement may be associated with disease severity. However, the relationship between inflammatory markers and electrophysiological findings of the lower extremity peripheral nerves in patients with RLS has not been well characterized. The goal of this research was to examine how the severity of restless leg syndrome (RLS), inflammation throughout the body, and electrical activity in the lower extremities’ peripheral nerve tissue are related to one another. Seventy patients with clinically diagnosed RLS were evaluated and stratified according to disease severity. Systemic inflammatory and hematologic markers were analyzed, and nerve conduction studies of the lower extremities were performed. Electrophysiological parameters were compared across severity groups, and correlation analyses were conducted between clinical severity, laboratory findings, and nerve conduction parameters. Several systemic inflammatory and hematologic markers differed significantly across RLS severity groups, including C-reactive protein, Sed rate or erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, ferritin, serum iron (serum Fe), and vitamin D levels. Correlation analyses demonstrated crucial associations among inflammatory markers and lower extremity nerve conduction parameters. In addition, RLS severity was significantly correlated with peripheral nerve conduction velocities and amplitudes of the lower extremities. Results showed that greater RLS severity is correlated to greater body-wide inflammation and changes in the electrical conduction properties of lower extremity peripheral nerves. These findings may indicate that inflammation and changes in the electrical activity of the peripheral nervous system may be an additional indicator of severity of RLS. Prospective studies with larger sample sizes and appropriate control groups are warranted to further clarify these associations.
Keywords: Restless legs syndrome (RLS); severity of disease; body-wide inflammation; neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR); C-reactive protein (CRP); vitamin D; nerve conduction study; peripheral nervous system.
How to cite this article: Nurizfantiar MA, Putri HS, Airlangga PS, Santoso KH, Waloejo CS, Mahmudah.; Effectiveness of Cocoa Extract as an Adjunctive Therapy to Pregabalin on Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) Levels and Pain Scores in an Animal Model of Neuropathic Pain. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(1): 181-187. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.1.19