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Clinical Obstetrics

Poster Session 2

(456) Association of Restless Legs Syndrome in Pregnancy with Cardiovascular Health 2-7 years after first birth

Tuesday, February 13, 2024
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM  
Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall CDE, Lower Atrium Level
Objective:

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is associated with cardiovascular disease in the non-pregnant population. Prevalence of RLS is high during pregnancy, but data are limited regarding associations with cardiovascular health (CVH) after delivery. This study assessed the association of RLS in pregnancy with CVH 2-7 years after first birth.

Study Design: In this secondary analysis of longitudinal data from a large, diverse cohort of nulliparas conducted at 8 US medical centers, individuals were followed 2-7 years after first birth. RLS was evaluated in early (6-20 weeks’) and mid pregnancy (22-29 weeks’) via the International Restless Legs Syndrome Question Set. The primary outcome was CVH, quantified by the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) score, a validated surrogate of cardiovascular disease risk with lower scores associated with worse CVH. The LE8 score includes diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep, body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose, and lipids, and ranges from 0 (worst) to 100 (best). For early and mid pregnancy, a multivariable linear regression analysis was performed adjusting for baseline maternal age, race and ethnicity as a social construct, insurance status, and being at high risk for sleep disordered breathing.

Results: Of 3,289 individuals with data in early pregnancy and 4,009 with data in mid pregnancy who were eligible for inclusion in this analysis, 16.2% and 28.7% reported RLS symptoms respectively. RLS in early pregnancy was associated with lower mean LE8 score 2-7 years after birth; this association remained significant after adjusting for covariates in multivariable models (82.0 [SD 11.9] without RLS vs. 79.4 [SD 13.4] with RLS, p=0.008; β [95% CI] -1.62 [95% CI -2.48, -0.77]). However, RLS in mid-pregnancy was not associated with LE8 scores 2-7 years after birth (Table).

Conclusion:

RLS in early pregnancy was associated with worse LE8 scores 2-7 years after birth. These findings indicate a need for future research to understand how antenatal sleep disorders may relate to CVH.