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23 June, 2005: Next time you feel you have disrupted sleep, you are unable to fall asleep or you get insufficient hours of sleep, beware you may be suffering from Restless Leg Syndrome.
Do you have an irresistible urge to shake your legs too often? If the answer is yes, it ain’t silly. You could be probably suffering from Restless Leg Syndrome, which is a chronic and disruptive neurological disorder. Though the condition is common, it is under-diagnosed and would impact sleep and other daily activities, Glaxo Smthkline reported on its web site citing a study published in Archives of Internal Medicine.
Information on RLS was gathered from about 15,391 participants. Although 81 per cent of the respondents reported discussing their RLS symptoms with physicians, only 6.22 per cent reported that they were given a diagnosis of RLS. The respondents were asked about the frequency and nature of RLS symptoms, degree of related stress and about prior physician consultation.
Glaxo Smithkline Clinical Neurology director Nancy L Earl says the biggest problem is obtaining appropriate diagnosis and management. “Millions of people suffer from RLS yet some physicians may not connect certain physical and sensorimotor symptoms to
RLS, resulting in a sizeable population that is not getting medical attention or diagnosis,” she said.
Apart from the irresistible urge to move the legs, RLS is characterized by uncomfortable or sometimes painful sensations in the legs often described as creeping-crawling, tingling, pulling or tightening. The study found that RLS frequency was more in female study population. Thirty per cent of the RLS patients were younger than 50.
More than 75% of the study population said they had some sleep-related symptom, while 55.5% said their day time activities were disturbed. The study found that RLS patients’ general quality of life was comparable with that of other chronic conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes and clinical depression. Poor circulation (18.3 percent), arthritis (14.3 percent) and back problems (12.7 percent) were the most common diagnoses reported, when RLS patients sought medical help.
An estimated 10% of the adults in US suffer from RLS. Although its exact cause is unknown, researchers believe Restless Legs Syndrome may be related to dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that carries the signals between nerve cells that control body movement. When the dopamine system does not function properly, it may upset the normal communication of these signals. There are currently no specific tests for Restless Legs Syndrome. Diagnosis is primarily based on discussions, the use of a diagnostic screener, a review of your medical history, and a physical examination.
A drug for Parkinson's disease, Requip (ropinirole), was approved earlier this year for treating RLS. It is the first medicine the Food and Drug Administration has officially sanctioned for RLS.
BY OUR PHARMA CORRESPONDENT
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