Restless Leg Syndrome Indicates About Other Health Problems: Study

People who always feel the urge to keep moving their legs or in other words those who show symptoms of restless leg syndrome can also be suffering from other underlying problems, claims a new study.

After an analysis of 12,556 men, researchers found that there were "multiple disease associations" with RLS, which is a genetic disorder.

"Patients with RLS had a higher mortality rate than similar men and showed an especially strong tendency toward cardiovascular disease and hypertension," said study author Stanford H. Auerbach, associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.

Another study has suggested that RLS was associated with many other diseases such as lung disease, endocrine disease, diseases of nutrition and metabolism and other immune system problems.

People diagnosed with RLS complain of unpleasant sensation in their legs. Auerbach said that very soon GPs can start screening of such patients in order to identify patients at risk.

Those suffering from RLS or Willis-Ekbon Syndrome face trouble sleeping and staying asleep at night. Experts say moving the legs gives comfort and staying in static position often causes discomfort.

According to a recent study, drug pregabalin (Lyrica) has been found to be better than other medication in giving comfort and slowing its progression.

Source: Medindia