PURPOSE The signs and symptoms, epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments, and options and guidelines for the treatment of restless legs syndrome (RLS) are reviewed. SUMMARY RLS was first described in the 17th century and further characterized in 1945. RLS is a common disorder, occurring in about 10% of the population. Patients with RLS ...

OBJECTIVE The association between restless legs syndrome (RLS), cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and hypertension is inconsistent. This case-control study examined i) the association between primary RLS, CVD and hypertension by taking into account many potential confounders and ii) the influence of RLS duration, severity and treatment, sleep and depressive symptoms on CVD and hypertension in prima...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Right-to-left shunt (RLS) via the patent foramen ovale is an important cause of cryptogenic stroke. The Valsalva maneuver provokes or enhances RLS, but RLS can also occur during normal respiration. This study examined whether the ischemic lesion pattern differs depending on the character of RLS. METHODS All consecutive patients with a patent foramen ovale (diagnosed by ...

there was no significant association between RLS and 3-year mortality, either with age and gender as covariates [6] . In the current issue of the American Journal of Nephrology , an unprecedented 15-year follow-up of RLS survivorship is presented by Baiardi et al. [7] . These investigators demonstrate that RLS-HD patients had a lower mortality rate compared to those HD patients without the synd...

BACKGROUND Restless legs syndrome (RLS) and Parkinson disease (PD) are common neurological conditions that respond to dopaminergic therapy. To our knowledge, the relationship between the two has not been thoroughly explored. METHODS We consecutively queried 303 patients with PD seen in our clinic for the presence of RLS symptoms, and evaluated their condition with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale...

In a cohort study among 2751 members (71.5% females) of the German and Swiss RLS patient organizations changes in restless legs syndrome (RLS) severity over time was assessed and the impact on quality of life, sleep quality and depressive symptoms was analysed. A standard set of scales (RLS severity scale IRLS, SF-36, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depre...

OBJECTIVE The lack of nocturnal decline in blood pressure (BP) is associated with an increase in cardiovascular events. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is an uncomfortable feeling in which the patient wants to budge the legs with ache in the legs. RLS also increases the hypertension and cardiovascular risk. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between dipping and non-dipping blood p...

BACKGROUND Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor neurological disorder characterized by paraesthesia, dysaesthesia and the irresistible urge to move the legs especially at night. Its prevalence is much higher among dialysis patients at 12 to 62% compared to 3 to 9% in the general population. Here, we investigated the association between RLS and cardiovascular events risk and laboratory...

STUDY OBJECTIVES Survey-based epidemiologic studies suggest that restless legs syndrome (RLS) affects approximately 10% of the general population and can cause significantly reduced quality of life due to sleep disturbance. This condition is more prevalent in certain disease states, such as iron deficiency anemia, neuropathy, and renal insufficiency. No such prevalence data exists for RLS in li...

OBJECTIVES To assess the frequency, impact, and medical response to the restless legs syndrome (RLS) in a large multi-national primary care population. METHOD Questionnaire surveys of matched patients and primary care physicians (PCPs) in five modern industrialized western countries. RESULTS An RLS screening questionnaire was completed by 23,052 patients: 2223 (9.6%) reported weekly RLS sym...