Title:Restless Legs Syndrome in Multiple Sclerosis
Volume: 11
Issue: 8
Author(s): Chiara Zecca, Mauro Manconi, Stephany Fulda and Claudio Gobbi
Affiliation:
Keywords:
MS, restless legs syndrome, sleep disorders, insomnia, epidemiological, secondary progressive form, pathological brain, autoimmune, hypersomnia, parasomnias.
Abstract: There is a growing interest in sleep disorders in multiple sclerosis (MS) due to their high frequency and
possible relationship to fatigue, a hallmark symptom in MS. Among them, insomnia and restless legs syndrome (RLS) are
the most common ones. RLS is a sleep-related motor disorder characterized by a strong urge to move associated with
uncomfortable sensations in the limbs. It is frequently under diagnosed in patients with MS although its course is often
particularly severe. Several arguments support a symptomatic origin of RLS in MS patients. Independently of any causal
relationship, the high prevalence of RLS in MS patients has clinical implications.
The purpose of the present review is (i) to summarize the epidemiological data and clinical characteristics of RLS in MS
patients in order to increase sensitivity to this disorder; (ii) to document the substantial body of evidence in support of a
symptomatic origin of RLS in MS and from this (iii) to delineate the proposition that MS may represent a clinical model
to study RLS-associated pathological changes.