A new study in the December 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine suggests neither the depth nor the distribution of RLS sensory discomfort can be used to discriminate between idiopathic RLS and RLS associated with other causes of leg discomfort. Study authors suggest that arthritis sensations were almost exclusively found in isolated joints, which was never true of RLS sensations in general. The authors recommend that patients who meet all 4 criteria for RLS but have only isolated joint involvement should be suspected of not having true RLS and therefore should not be enrolled in RLS genetic and epidemiological studies where only idiopathic RLS cases are desired.
Read the study in JCSM: Depth and Distribution of Symptoms in Restless Legs Syndrome/ Willis-Ekbom Disease
