Estrogen therapy reduces nocturnal periodic limb movements

• Autor(a) principal: Hachul, Helena
• Data de Publicação: 2007
• Outros Autores: Baracat, Edmund Chada [UNIFESP], Soares, Jose Maria [UNIFESP], Haidar, Mauro Abi [UNIFESP], Mello, Marco Tulio de [UNIFESP], Tufik, Sergio [UNIFESP], Bittencourt, Lia Rita Azeredo [UNIFESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: http://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/30152; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2007.08.009
• topic: periodic leg movements; menopause; estrogen therapy; sleep; sleep disturbances

It is believed that periodic lirnb movement (PLM) and more specifically, restless leg syndrome (RLS), are a common cause of insomnia. and one study in the literature examined PLM when associated to the use of estrogens. Polo-Kantola et al. [Polo-Kantola P, Rauhala E, Erkkola R, Irjala K, Polo O. Estrogen replacement therapy and nocturnal periodic limb movements: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol 2001;97(4):548-54] observed that estrogen therapy improved subjective sleep quality regardless of periodic limb movements or related arousals. Herein is a case of a symptomatic postmenopausal patient with high PLM index who complained of insomnia and leg pain. Given that the patient had hot flashes and a high Kupperman Menopausal Index (which evaluates climacteric symptoms), we decided to administer transdermal ESTRADOT 25 mu g (Novartis, Brazil) twice-a-week. Our patient experienced a significant decrease in PLM as well as a great increase in REM and a slight increase in slow wave sleep (stages 3 and 4), as shown in the polysomnography. the patient reported an overall improvement in her condition. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.