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Two Forms Of Restless Legs Syndrome Identified
A DGReview of :"Subclinical sensory neuropathy in late-onset restless legs syndrome"
Neurology
11/16/2000
By James Adams
There are two types of restless legs syndrome, one triggered by pain and associated with small sensory fiber loss and a second that does not involve small sensory fibers, researchers report.
Restless legs syndrome associated with small sensory fiber loss has a later onset and no family history, while the second form is not triggered by pain and has an earlier age of onset and positive family history.
Although many patients with small-fiber neuropathy also complain of restless legs syndrome, their relationship remains controversial, according to the authors.
In order to assess this relationship, investigators studied 22 consecutive patients with restless legs syndrome.
Neuropathy was identified in eight (36 percent) of the patients. Three patients had large-fiber neuropathy without small sensory fiber loss. Three had only small sensory fiber loss and two patients had a mix of both.
Patients with small sensory fiber loss experienced pain in their feet, were older at the age of onset and tended not to have a family history of restless legs syndrome.
Those patients with large-fiber neuropathy did not have the same associations with pain, age of onset or family history.
The authors suggest that neuropathic pain medications may beneficial to patients with the small sensory fiber loss subtype of restless legs syndrome.
"Subclinical sensory neuropathy in late-onset restless legs syndrome"
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