New light on restless legs syndrome

By Geoff Michaels, June 8th, 2013 | Health | 0 Comments

A study shows that defects in a single gene are probably responsible for half of the cases of restless legs syndrome.
Around three per cent of those under 30 are affected by restless legs syndrome. This is a form of discomfort in the legs - hard to describe, but often said to be a ‘creepy crawly feeling’ - which triggers an urge to move to gain relief. Restless legs interfere with sleep and so result in fatigue. The incidence rises with age - affecting ten per cent of those over 65, and as many as 20 per cent of the over 80s.

Researchers in Munich, Germany, suspect a genetic cause underlying restless legs syndrome. They studied 908 people - 238 of whom had restless legs, while the rest were close family members. They divided them into two groups - one where the syndrome had begun before age 30, while the other comprised families with cases beginning after 30.

In the young onset families, there was clearly a single gene underlying the problem. The child of someone with restless legs syndrome runs a 50 per cent chance of also developing the condition. In the later onset cases, a complex mix of genes and environmental factors seems to trigger restless legs. The gene itself has not yet been identified, but this research opens the door to a better understanding of this annoying condition and may even lead to a cure.