Night time leg cramps more common in summer

Painful nocturnal leg cramps are about twice as common during summer than in winter, says research in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
In the UK and Canada quinine is sometimes prescribed to treat leg cramps, so a team looked at the number of new quinine prescriptions for adults over 50 years of age in British Columbia, Canada, over a six year period.
A total of 31 339 people (61% female) began taking quinine during the study. The researchers then looked at the frequency of Google searches from the US and Australia for leg cramps.
Results
Prescriptions for quinine peaked in July as did Google searches for leg cramps. In Australia, where mid-summer is in January, Google data indicated a similar peak for leg cramp searches. There was no observed seasonality for search terms for back pain, kidney stones, migraines, acne or panic attacks.
“These findings establish the phenomenon of seasonality in rest cramps in the general population,” says Dr Scott Garrison, who is involved in the research. “In countries where quinine is still in widespread use as prophylaxis for nocturnal leg cramps despite safety warnings (eg Canada and the UK), physicians may choose to counsel patients to take a ‘quinine holiday’ during the six colder months of the year.”

Subscribe to Arthritis Digest, the UK’s fastest growing arthritis magazine for all the latest arthritis news, reviews and celebrity interviews. You’ll know what your doctor is talking about, what new drugs are in the pipeline and be up to date on helpful products. Hard copy and digital versions both available. Click here for more information.

Image credit: Stuart Richards