Restless Legs Syndrome Statistics
Willis-Ekbom Disease, also known as restless legs syndrome causes unpleasant or uncomfortable sensations in the legs, making it irresistible to move them. Moving eases the unpleasant feeling temporarily. Symptoms typically happen in the evening or nighttime hours when sitting or lying down. They also may occur when someone is inactive and sitting for extended periods. Since symptoms can be worse at night, it could become difficult to fall asleep or return to sleep after waking up. Moving the legs or walking typically gives temporary relief because the uncomfortable sensations often recur once the movement stops. RLS is classified as a sleep disorder since the symptoms are triggered by resting and attempting to sleep. It is also a movement disorder since people are forced to move their legs in order to relieve symptoms.
There are two kinds of restless legs syndrome. Primary RLS is often hereditary or occurs for unknown reasons (idiopathic). Secondary RLS may occur in association with certain conditions, such as iron deficiency, low levels of the oxygen-carrying component of red blood cells (anemia), kidney failure, or pregnancy.
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes), (National Organization for Rare Diseases)
The Most Surprising Restless Legs Syndrome Statistics
- Various restless legs syndrome statistics estimate that 5 to 15% of the general population has RLS.
- RLS is estimated to affect 2% of children.
- RLS is estimated to affect 10 to 35% of people over 65 years old.
- More than 60% of cases of RLS are inherited.
- Women are 2 times as likely to have RLS.
- About 80% of patients with RLS experience periodic leg movements during sleep or while awake.
- RLS can decrease work productivity by 20%.
- Restless legs syndrome statistics estimate about 41% of patients are properly diagnosed.
General Restless Legs Syndrome Statistics and Facts
1. Although it is seen that the disorder is present in 5 to 15% of the general population, some restless legs syndrome statistics show its prevalence can go up to 50% or higher.
The perception of people on “restless legs” or “uncomfortable feelings in the legs” is very subjective. In some cases, the questions used on study participants lacked specificity. For example, having restless legs or bothersome twitches. This can obscure the data and yield higher prevalence. In other cases, the questions can be so complex that it is not clear whether participants even understood the questions.
(National Center for Biotechnology Information)
2. RLS can be present in as much as 20% of pregnant women.
RLS is the most common movement disorder occurring during pregnancy. It develops more frequently during the third trimester and disappears within the first month after delivery in most cases. A large Japanese study involving 16,528 pregnant women showed that 19.9% reported sometimes to always having the sensation of insects running across the skin or hot flashes inside the legs after going to bed at night.
(National Center for Biotechnology Information)
3. Women who had transient RLS during their pregnancy had a 4-fold increased risk of developing chronic RLS.
A study interviewed 207 women about 6.5 years after delivery to compare the incidence of RLS among women without RLS symptoms and those who had RLS during their pregnancy. Not only did the women with RLS during pregnancy have a higher risk of developing chronic RLS, but they were also 58% more likely to experience RLS symptoms again in a subsequent pregnancy than the other women.
(National Center for Biotechnology Information)
4. RLS may begin at any age but most people suffering from RLS are over age 40.
Being close to age 40 appears to increase the likelihood of developing RLS. A study in Italy showed an age of onset at 33.7 years for idiopathic RLS. A study in South Korea similarly saw an age of onset of 35.4 years for idiopathic RLS and 47.4 years for secondary RLS. Another study in South Korea showed that RLS began before the age of 45 years in 70.2% of cases but without details regarding whether RLS was idiopathic or secondary.
(National Center for Biotechnology Information)
5. Various restless legs syndrome statistics show North America and Western Europe to have a general prevalence of 4 to 29%.
Estimates tend to be higher when researchers use less stringent RLS diagnostic criteria. In general, 70% of the studies report RLS rates of at least 10%. Participants commonly report experiencing moderate to distressing symptoms at least once per week.
(National Center for Biotechnology Information)
6. Various restless legs syndrome statistics show Asian populations tend to have a general prevalence of 0.1 to 12%.
The prevalence of RLS in Asian populations tend to be much lower. This may be due to genetic heterogeneity and geographic locations. However, this may be due to stricter definitions of RLS in Asian countries.
(Wiley Online Library), (National Center for Biotechnology Information)
7. Up to 2/3 of primary RLS patients have a family history of the disorder.
RLS is not always hereditary, but it does run in some families, and several genetic links have been found for RLS. However, thee inheritance pattern of RLS is still unclear because environmental factors are also involved. In some affected families, RLS has an autosomal dominant pattern, meaning inheriting one copy of an altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder.
(Dr. Shaun O’Keeffee), (Dr. Paul Cotter)
8. There are 3 common causes of secondary restless legs syndrome.
Pregnancy, iron deficiency, and chronic kidney disease commonly cause secondary RLS. Other chronic health conditions that can lead to RLS are diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, an under-active thyroid gland, and fibromyalgia.
(Dr. Mariusz Sieminski), (National Health Services)
9. Early-onset restless legs syndrome can appear before the age of 20.
RLS symptoms often begin during childhood or adolescence. About 35% of patients report RLS before age 20, and 10% tell doctors that their symptoms appeared by age 10. Symptoms commonly worsen over time.
(Children Hospital Colorado), (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
10. About 83% of children with secondary RLS has iron deficiency.
The most common cause of secondary RLS in children appears to be iron deficiency. Iron is needed to make dopamine. Dopamine is an important neurochemical in the brain that is involved in sleep, movements, and the control of pleasurable emotions.
(National Center for Biotechnology Information), (Stanford Healthcare)
11. Late-onset restless legs syndrome can appear after the age of 45.
Late-onset RLS advances more quickly and occurs more often. Symptoms may appear daily from the time they begin, or they may progress rapidly over a period of about five years until they occur regularly.
(American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
12. About 15.3% of patients report at least weekly symptoms.
A study on primary care patients in Moscow found 24% reported all basic diagnostic symptoms of RLS. Of the patients surveyed, 15.3% had symptoms at least weekly, 20.6% had symptoms at least monthly, and 6.6% had symptoms more than 3 times per week.
(Deborah A. Nichols, MS)
13. A study found that about 81% of people with moderate or severe RLS symptoms consulted with their doctor, but only 6.2% were given a diagnosis.
Despite the prevalence of restless legs syndrome, physicians still tend to under- and misdiagnose it. Most health care professionals do not recognize RLS as a significant disorder and therefore lack understanding on it. There may be a tendency to account for RLS symptoms as an expression of better-recognized medical conditions.
(Richard P. Allen, PhD)
14. Lifestyle can influence restless legs syndrome.
Some researchers and health professional postulate that lifestyle factors such as lack of physical activity, obesity, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, and consumption of coffee affect the risk or severity of RLS.
(Salma Batool-Anwar, MD, MPH)
Lifestyle Factors that Influence Restless Legs Syndrome
15. Restless legs syndrome statistics show obese men and women have a 46 and 64% higher risk of the disorder.
A study found that people with a body mass index greater than 30 are more prone to RLS. Another study similarly found that men and women with a BMI greater than 30 were nearly 1.5 times more likely to have RLS.
(Salma Batool-Anwar, MD, MPH), (Xiang Gao, MD, PhD)
16. Men and women who are physically active lower thier risk of restless legs syndrome by 9 and 18%, respectively.
Physical activity appear to reduce the risk and even lowers the symptoms of RLS. How physical activity achieves these is still unclear. Some thing it’s because of the higher blood flow to the lower extremities, higher nitric oxide synthase activity, release of endorphins, and higher release of dopamine.
(Salma Batool-Anwar, MD, MPH)
17. Researchers found that women who smoke increases thier risk for restless legs syndrome by 21%.
Smoking a pack of cigarettes per day is linked to RLS in women. On the other hand, researchers did not find a significant increase in risk for RLS in men who smoke. However, the higher RLS risk in female smokers may be due to the sex difference. Interestingly, some studies saw that smoking relieved RLS symptoms, possibly since nicotine has stimulating effects similar to dopamine.
(Salma Batool-Anwar, MD, MPH)
18. No significant relations were found between alcohol or caffeine and restless legs syndrome.
Although the influence of alcohol and caffeine on RLS is still unclear, abstinence from both have relieved RLS symptoms on some cases. Avoiding or decreasing the consumption of both is commonly recommended.
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
19. Restless legs syndrome may be a marker for poor overall health.
Although the causes of primary RLS are still unclear, secondary RLS frequently occurs in individuals who have other disorders. Many researchers have found that secondary RLS is associated with other health disorders.
(Medscape)
Other Disorders Associated with Restless Legs Syndrome
20. Restless legs syndrome statistics show at least 80% of people with the disorder also have Periodic Limb Movement Disorder but the reverse is not true.
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder is repetitive cramping or jerking of the legs during sleep. The movements are repetitive and rhythmic, occurring about every 20-40 seconds. PLMD is also considered a sleep disorder, because the movements often disrupt sleep and lead to daytime sleepiness.
(WebMD)
21. People with parkinsonism are 7.4 times as likely to have restless legs syndrome .
Parkinsonism is any condition that causes a combination of the movement abnormalities seen in Parkinson’s disease. These include tremor, slow movement, impaired speech or muscle stiffness. A separate study found that people Parkinson’s disease are 3 times more likely to also have RLS.
(Seyed-Mohammad Fereshtehnejad, MD, PhD), (Mayo Clinic), (Sleep Foundation)
22. People with peripheral neuropathy are 3.7 times as likely to have restless legs syndrome.
Peripheral neuropathy occurs when damage is present in the nerves that link the brain and spinal cord and the rest of the body. Peripheral neuropathy can result from traumatic injuries, infections, metabolic problems, inherited causes and exposure to toxins. One of the most common causes is diabetes. People with peripheral neuropathy generally experience pain they describe to be like stabbing, burning or tingling. A separate study found that RLS was present in 19.4% and 9.2% of people with hereditary and acquired nueropathy, respectively.
(Seyed-Mohammad Fereshtehnejad, MD, PhD), (WebMD), (Dr. Erin Hattan, MD)
23. People with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) are 3.1 times as likely to have restless legs syndrome.
SCIis when a patient reports a worsening of their thinking abilities like memory. It is an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease. Many studies have reported a decline in cognition with RLS patients.
(Seyed-Mohammad Fereshtehnejad, MD, PhD), (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), (Journal of Sleep Medicine)
24. Peole with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) are 2.8 times as likely to also have restless legs syndrome.
RBD occurs when people act out vivid dreams as they sleep. These dreams are often filled with action. They may even be violent. Episodes tend to get worse over time. Early episodes may involve mild activity. Later episodes can be more violent.
(Seyed-Mohammad Fereshtehnejad, MD, PhD), Sleep Education)
25. People with hyposmia are 2.5 times as likely to have restless legs syndrome.
Hyposmia is a reduced ability to smell and to detect odors. People with Parkinson’s disease is associated with hyposmia, and because Parkinson’s disease, parkinsonism, and RLS have problems with dopamine activity, hyposmia also tends to be present in peole with RLS.
(Seyed-Mohammad Fereshtehnejad, MD, PhD), (Adler, MD, PhD)
26. Restless legs syndrome statistics show that 39% of people with RLS also have psychiatric conditions.
Because RLS can lower the quality of life of people, those with the disorder also tend to develop psychiatric disorders such as depression.
(The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences)
27. There are still 0 cures for primary restless legs syndrome.
Primary RLS is still lifelong. There are still no cures for primary RLS because the disorder is still poorly understood. Fortunately, there are wasy to cope with RLS symptoms. For primary RLS, things that can help include taking medications that increase dopamine in the brain, opiods, and drugs that affect calcium channels. Secondary RLS, however, can be treated by addressing the conditions that trigger it. If iron deficiency is the cause, the taking iron supplements can help
(WebMD)
Conclusion
Restless legs syndrome is still a poorly understood disorder, but it has dire consequences. Since there is still no cure, people must be aware and vigilant in trying to prevent it in the first place. Knowing if there is a family history of RLS can help people prepare or avoid primary RLS. Living a healthy lifestyle can also help avoid secondary RLS.
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