What is Restless Legs Syndrome?
Restless Legs Syndrome or Willis-Ekbom disease, known by its acronym SPI-EWE, is a problem of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). It consists of an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, often accompanied by unpleasant internal sensations in the legs, in certain resting situations.
It affects about four million people in Spain, in about one million with sufficient intensity and frequency to require specific treatment. It is twice as frequent in women and can appear at any age, including childhood, most frequently between 27 and 40 years of age.
Restless legs syndrome affects twice as many women.
What are the symptoms?
The unpleasant sensations are very varied, referred to as tingling, internal discomfort-pressure, ill-defined internal restlessness, bubbling, etc.
The symptoms appear at rest, sitting and/or lying down, generally in the late afternoon-late evening, and are relieved by moving the legs and walking. Periodic leg movements may also appear during sleep and sometimes awake at rest, which are brief involuntary jerks of the leg with a special rhythm (they may appear in other diseases as well).
The main consequence is the secondary poor quality of sleep, which causes physical tiredness, anxiety, depression, lack of concentration and performance and predisposes to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.
Causes of restless legs syndrome or why it occurs
On a clearly genetic basis, with several genes already known to be involved, it is believed that the cause is a lack of iron availability in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) due to alteration of the mechanism of its transport from the blood to the central nervous system, which causes an alteration in the functioning of brain neurotransmitters, leading to symptoms.
If the genetic load is high, the disease appears at younger ages and without triggers, and may be familial. If the genetic load is less high, the disease appears at later ages and there may be triggers (20% of cases). The triggers with more scientific evidence are:
- Low blood iron
- Advanced chronic renal failure
- Pregnancy
- Celiac disease and intestinal malabsorption problems
- Perhaps certain neurological problems affecting the spinal cord
- Certain medications
What is the treatment?
In moderate-severe cases, treatment is with specific medications to alleviate the symptoms of the disease, usually long-term, as it is not a curative treatment.
Certain lifestyle changes can help alleviate discomfort in all cases, and in mild or sporadic cases sometimes without other measures, such as:
- Adequate and stable sleep schedules
- Moderate physical exercise in the middle of the afternoon
- Cold baths above all, sometimes hot, and leg massages at the onset of symptoms.
- Relaxation techniques and activities that distract attention at times of greatest discomfort.
- Avoidance of alcohol, caffeine and tobacco