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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Adult, Cabergoline, Dopamine Agonists, Double-Blind Method, Ergolines, Female, Ferritins, Humans, Levodopa, Male, Patient Dropouts, Prospective Studies, Restless Legs Syndrome, Retrospective Studies, Risk Factors.
user
Is augmentation in restless legs syndrome associated with low ferritin? Context: Augmentation is a major problem with dopaminergic therapy for restless legs syndrome (RLS), and predictors of augmentation have not yet been identified. We aimed to analyze the relationship between baseline ferritin level and occurrence of augmentation in a retrospective analysis of a prospective double-blind trial of cabergoline versus levodopa on augmentation in RLS. Patients who experienced augmentation were compared to patients who did not experience augmentation. Augmentation symptoms causing premature discontinuation from the study or which were tolerated (n=36, ferritin: 85+59 ng/ml) were associated with lower levels of serum ferritin compared to patients without augmentation (n=302, ferritin: 118+108 ng/ml, p=0.0062).
assistant
Ferritin as a marker of iron storage may play an important role in the pathophysiology of RLS and may prove to be a biomarker for the development of augmentation under dopaminergic therapy. Final Decision: yes