Exercise Training in Dialysis Patients With Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

This is a randomized, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the acute and long term (6 months) effect of exercise training in combination with dopamine agonists in quality of life, muscle function, sleep quality and metabolism in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) receiving dialysis therapy.

Objectives - Aims:

• To investigate whether a single bout of intradialytic exercise session could have an effect in motor restlessness often seen during hemodialysis session in patients with RLS
• To investigate whether a 24 weeks therapy with dopamine agonist or placebo will have an effect in sleep quality, functional capacity and metabolic profile of the hemodialysis patients with RLS
• To examine whether dopamine agonists or placebo and aerobic intradialytic exercise act synergistically for the improvement of physical functioning and muscle performance as well as it could reduce the signs of augmentation in hemodialysis patients with RLS

Inclusion criteria

• Clinically stable hemodialysis patients with positive diagnosis in IRLSS questionnaire for the RLS will be eligible to participate. Entry criteria included being on chronic hemodialysis for six months, able to perform an exercise training, with dialysis delivery (KT/V) > 1.1.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients were excluded from the study if they were diagnosed with neuropathies or reasons for being in a catabolic state (including malignancies, HIV and opportunistic infections, active inflammation), within 3 months prior to the start of the study. In addition patients treated with drugs recommended for the treatment of RLS as well as patients with Parkinson's disease or untreated depression will be also excluded.