Diagnosing Restless Legs Syndrome
Diagnosing Restless Legs Syndrome – How do doctors arrive at a Restless Legs Syndrome diagnosis when some people don’t think it exists? Get details on this very real condition in this video!
Expert: Suzanne Phillips, M.D. Mount Sinai Hospital
Transcript
There is currently no definitive diagnostic test for restless legs syndrome (RLS). For this reason, a patient’s description of his or her symptoms is vitally important to a correct diagnosis of the condition.
Determining the cause of nighttime restlessness begins with a detailed medical history. This is important because almost 50 percent of restless legs sufferers have a family member with the condition.
Next, the patient is questioned in detail about all of his or her symptoms, which are then categorized according to the four diagnostic criteria of RLS, set forth by the Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group.
The first marker symptom is the presence of unpleasant tingling, aching, itching, or “crawling”, sensations felt deep within the legs.
The second symptom recognized by the RLS study group is motor restlessness, characterized by pacing, leg rubbing, and tossing and turning in bed. Motor restlessness may also manifest as short, involuntary bursts of leg movement which usually occur when a patient is lying down.
The third diagnostic criterion is that the symptoms are worse when the sufferer is at rest, but are at least partially relieved by bouts of activity.
And the final marker for diagnosing RLS is symptoms which worsen at night, and are distinctly more painful between 10 pm and 2 am.
A patient whose symptoms fit these criteria is considered to have restless legs syndrome. However, because RLS can stem from an underlying medical condition, a doctor may wish to conduct more tests to determine the root cause of restless legs.
A follow-up blood test can reveal low iron levels, kidney disease, and diabetes, all of which have been linked to the condition.
If a doctor suspects that a condition called neuropathy may be an underlying cause of RLS, a needle electromyography study, or EMG, may be conducted. In this test, small needles are inserted into the muscles to assess nerve activity.
Occasionally, a doctor may follow up with a polysomnographic, or sleep, test. During polysomnography, a patient’s brain waves, heartbeat, breathing, and bodily movements are monitored overnight. This test is especially important to detect the presence of an involuntary condition known as periodic limb movements of sleep, which occurs in 4 out of 5 RLS patients and makes a restful night even more elusive. A polysomnography may also be necessary for children who have trouble describing their symptoms accurately, and for people who do not respond to standard RLS treatments.
If the end result of these tests is a diagnosis with restless legs syndrome, you are not alone! At least 12 million Americans have RLS, and researchers learn more about this common condition every day.
Last Modified: 2013-09-27
Category: Health and Nutrition, Videos
