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Restless legs syndrome

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It is a neurological disorder of poorly understood cause, which has been linked to dopamine and manifests itself with uncomfortable sensations in the legs, predominantly when they are at rest at night, and which require walking and movement in order to alleviate them.

Bibliographic references
  1. Woloshin S, Schwartz LM. Giving legs to restless legs: a case study of how the media helps make people sick. PLoS Med. 2006; 3(4): e170.
  2. Benes H, Walters AS, Allen RP, Hening WA, Kohnen R. Definition of restless legs syndrome, how to diagnose it, and how to differentiate it from RLS mimics. Mov Disord. 2007; 22 Suppl 18: S401-8.
  3. Innes KE, Selfe TK, Agarwal P. Prevalence of restless legs syndrome in North American and Western European populations: a systematic review. Sleep Med. 2011; 12(7): 623-34.
  4. Allen RP, Stillman P, Myers AJ. Physician-diagnosed restless legs syndrome in a large sample of primary medical care patients in western Europe: Prevalence and characteristics. Sleep Med. 2010; 11(1): 31-7.
  5. Ohayon MM, O’Hara R, Vitiello MV. Epidemiology of restless legs syndrome: a synthesis of the literature. Sleep Med Rev. 2012; 16(4): 283-95.
  6. Panda S, Taly AB, Sinha S, Gururaj G, Girish N, Nagaraja D. Sleep-related disorders among a healthy population in South India. Neurol India. 2012; 60(1): 68-74.
  7. Ma JF, Xin XY, Liang L, Liu LH, Fang R, Zhang YJ, et al. Restless legs syndrome in Chinese elderly people of an urban suburb in Shanghai: a community-based survey. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2012; 18(3): 294-8.
  8. Tsuboi Y, Imamura A, Sugimura M, Nakano S, Shirakawa S, Yamada T. Prevalence of restless legs syndrome in a Japanese elderly population. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2009; 15(8): 598-601.
  9. Kim KW, Yoon IY, Chung S, Shin YK, Lee SB, Choi EA, et al. Prevalence, comorbidities and risk factors of restless legs syndrome in the Korean elderly population - results from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging. J Sleep Res. 2010; 19(1 Pt 1): 87-92.
  10. Li LH, Chen HB, Zhang LP, Wang ZW, Wang CP. A community-based investigation on restless legs syndrome in a town in China. Sleep Med. 2012; 13(4): 342-5.
  11. Winkler AS, Trendafilova A, Meindl M, Kaaya J, Schmutzhard E, Kassubek J. Restless legs syndrome in a population of northern Tanzania: a community-based study. Mov Disord. 2010; 25(5): 596-601.
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Symptoms

    Improvement in movement

    Symptoms improve with movement

    Tingling in the affected area

    Tired legs

    Both legs are numb

Self-care

Relax the muscles with massages and lukewarm baths.
Apply cold compresses 3 times a day for 20 minutes to reduce the symptoms.
Engage in regular physical activity, adapted to age and physical condition, at least 3 times a week.
Reduce situations that produce psychological stress.
Reduce caffeine consumption.
Reduce tobacco consumption.
Reduce alcohol consumption.
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