Objective: Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a disorder characterized by an abnormal sensation, some sort of dysesthesia, which cannot be described especially on the limbs. The main objective of this study is to test taste and odor sensations in patients with restless legs syndrome. It is also aimed to examine the relationship between taste and odor tests.

Background: Both Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and sense of smell are predicted to be the most prominent feature in the pathophysiology of the dopaminergic mechanism. This study is one of the first studies to directly examine the odor and taste tests in RLS patients and to show their relation to each other. The relatively small number of samples, the lack of sham- controlled and double-blind operation is a weakness of our work. And, studies should also be conducted to mathematically formulate the relationship between RLS, TDI, and taste tests. However, the strengths of our study are that it is a prospective and original study, filling an area that has not been studied in the literature.

Method: A total of 100 people participated in the study, all male and over 40 years old. Of these, 50 were healthy and volunteered as control group. 50 had complaints of RLS and these were taken as experimental group. Sniffin’ Sticks Test Battery was used for odor testing. And, taste strip test was used for the taste test.

Results: Total Score of Threshold, Discrimination and Identification Odor Tests (TDI) results were calculated as 37.5 in the healthy group and 32.5 in the RLS group. Also, the averages of the taste test were found as 15.4±0.6 in the healthy group; 12.3±2.4 in the RLS group. The differences between groups were significant. Furthermore, the correlation coefficient between odor and taste tests was found as +0.72, indicating that there was a “strong positive correlation” between the tests.

Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that there may be a neurodegenerative process in the pathophysiology of the subgroup at risk for Idiopathic Parkınson Disease (IPD). When the quality of life is questioned in patients with RLS diagnosed, possible losses in smell and taste sensations should be evaluated by clinicians.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/restless-leg-syndrome-in-men-examination-of-early-non-motor-clinical-signs-of-parkinsons-disease/