Restraint Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) was actually a very common disease in our society. About 5 out of every 100 people have this disease. However, the number of patients who are diagnosed and treated because the disease is not recognized is very low.
So, what is Restless Legs Syndrome?
Restless Legs Syndrome, especially at rest. It is uneasy sensations such as burning, stinging, stretching, tingling, which are sometimes difficult to describe, felt in the legs at night. The person feels the urge to get up and walk around, to move his legs. The complaint regresses when the legs are moved. It usually keeps both legs together, although it may rarely spread to the arm.
People with this disease have difficulty falling asleep at night, they may wake up from their sleep and their sleep quality deteriorates. For this reason, they experience fatigue during the day. It is more common in middle-aged and women. In one-third of patients, the disease begins in their 20s and progresses relatively slowly. The disease progresses more severely in patients who start in middle and advanced age, and these patients usually need drug treatment.
In more than half of the patients, this disease is genetically inherited, it can also be seen in other members of the family.
The cause of the disease is dopamine. It is a disorder in the passage of a substance called nerve cells. Studies have shown that patients have a disorder in the basal ganglia nuclei of the brain (pre- and post-synaptic dopamine receptors). Again, dopamine function may be impaired due to iron deficiency. Especially in the last 3 months of pregnancy, RLS can be seen due to iron deficiency, folic acid deficiency, low estrogen and progesterone, and irregular sleep. Again, the incidence of RLS increases with some diseases. These; iron deficiency anemia, kidney diseases, thyroid disorders, diabetes, polyneuropathy, Parkinson's disease and rheumatic diseases. RLS caused by this type of disease is called secondary RLS. Idiopathic, that is, secondary to RLS of unknown cause, should be differentiated by examining other diseases in detail, because the drug treatments to be followed in two cases may differ. Also used antidepressants and antipsychotics Various psychiatric drugs, allergy drugs, smoking, alcohol and caffeine use, which we call tic, trigger RLS complaints.
There are medicated and non-drug treatment options as treatment.
In mild RLS cases, we can recommend stretching exercises and a hot bath before going to sleep, apart from medication. Again, we strongly recommend that our patients stay away from caffeine, cigarettes and alcohol as they increase their complaints.
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