RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (WITTMAACK-EKBOM) »A MOST COMMON DISORDER THAT YOU NEVER HEARD OF«

Abstract

Summary. The aim of this article is to provide a survey of scientifically proven knowledge about the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). The RLS is a neurological condition, a disorder of movement with the prevalence amounting from 2 to 15%. Primary RLS types are often familial, while the secondary RLS types are sporadic, most often caused by iron deficiency, uremia, pregnancy, polyneuropathy, the use of certain medications. The diagnosis is based on international diagnostic criteria, while the treatment is based on the use of dopaminergic agents, opioids, anticonvulsants and benzodiazepines. Doctors specialized in different clinical fields encounter patients with RLS, but they rarely diagnose it due to being uninformed. The adoption of these knowledges would ensure conducting epidemiological studies in the future, which would result in demonstrating real data on the spread of this illness within the population of Croatia.