Restless Legs Syndrome Symptoms in Primary Care

Abstract

ALTHOUGH IT has been estimated that 40 million Americans experience chronic sleep disorders, only a small proportion are adequately diagnosed and treated.¹ Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder that accounts for a significant proportion of patients with sleep complaints. The first modern medical description of RLS as a syndrome was provided by Ekbom² in 1945. More detailed diagnostic criteria were developed by the International RLS Study Group (IRLSSG) in 1995,³ and were recently updated at an international diagnostic workshop at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC (May 2002). This most recent revision was approved by the IRLSSG. Currently, to be considered positive for RLS symptoms, the following 4 diagnostic criteria must be met: (1) the patient must have an urge to move the legs, usually accompanied by an unpleasant sensation in the legs; (2) RLS symptoms must be aggravated by rest; (3) RLS symptoms must be alleviated by movement and, in particular, walking; and (4) RLS symptoms must be worse in the evening or night either currently or in the past when the condition first started.