Nighttime Agitation in Persons with Dementia as a Manifestation of Restless Legs Syndrome.
Kathy C Richards, Richard P Allen, Janet Morrison and 8 others
PMID 33347845WHAT IT FOUND
In older adults with Alzheimer's dementia and restless legs syndrome, less sleep and lower transferrin saturation were significantly associated with more frequent nighttime agitation behaviors.
These two factors explained 20% of the variance in agitation.
Key findings
01In the multivariable model, sleep minutes and transferrin saturation were negatively associated with nighttime agitation behaviors, explaining 20% of the variance.
02For every minute increase in sleep, there was a 0.01 decrease in agitation behaviors.
03Agitation behaviors decreased 0.10 for every one percent increase in transferrin saturation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study design is observational and cannot determine cause and effect. Observations were limited to only two nights. The sample size was small (76 participants). The study excluded participants receiving high doses of opioids or those with severe psychosis, limiting generalizability to more complex patients. The Behavioral Indicators Test for Restless Legs was validated in non-demented persons, though used here in a demented population.
Declared interests
The study was supported by N.I.H. Extramural funding. The text does not report other specific conflicts of interest or commercial sponsorships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that increasing sleep or correcting iron levels will definitely reduce agitation, as this was an observational study showing association, not causation.