PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Lisa Klingelhoefer
AU  - Ilaria Cova
AU  - Sheena Gupta
AU  - Kallol Ray Chaudhuri
TI  - A review of current treatment strategies for restless legs syndrome (Willis–Ekbom disease)
AID  - 10.7861/clinmedicine.14-5-520
DP  - 2014 Oct 01
TA  - Clinical Medicine
PG  - 520--524
VI  - 14
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/14/5/520.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/14/5/520.full
SO  - Clin Med2014 Oct 01; 14
AB  - Restless legs syndrome (RLS), recently renamed Willis–Ekbom disease (WED), is a common movement disorder. It is characterised by the need to move mainly the legs due to uncomfortable, sometimes painful sensations in the legs, which have a diurnal variation and a release with movement. Management is complex. First, centres should establish the severity of RLS using a simple 10-item RLS severity rating scale (IRLS). They should also exclude secondary causes, in particular ensuring normal iron levels. Mild cases can be managed by lifestyle changes, but patients with a IRLS score above 15 usually require pharmacological treatment. Dopaminergic therapies remain the mainstay of medical therapies, with recent evidence suggesting opioids may be particularly effective. This article focuses on the different treatment strategies in RLS, their associated complications and ways to manage them.