Restless legs syndrome: the genetic thesis is confirmed
May 14, 2010 – Restless leg syndrome, or restlessness in the legs, is believed to have a genetic component. We already suspected it, but the results of a study1 Quebecois tend to confirm the hypothesis.
The researchers followed, for fifteen years, 249 Quebecers suffering from the syndrome as well as 892 adult members of their immediate family (brothers, sisters and children).
According to the results, in siblings of affected patients, the relative risk of suffering from the syndrome was multiplied by 3,6 compared to an incidence of 10%, considered normal in the general population in North America. In their children, the relative risk was almost doubled.
The study data also confirms that women are more affected than men: of the 747 cases listed, 36% were men and 64% were women. The researchers point out that environmental factors (other than genetic predispositions) seem to contribute to the onset of the syndrome, including iron deficiency and anemia, the number of pregnancies and arthritis.
What is restless leg syndrome? It is a neurological disorder that causes an overwhelming urge to move the legs. This need arises from discomfort in the lower limbs – tingling, tingling, burning sensations – the intensity of which varies from person to person. These sensations occur particularly during periods of relaxation or inactivity. |
According to the Dr Guy A. Rouleau2, one of the principal investigators, “the size of this study and the quality of the data collected give a lot of strength to the theory that this neurological disorder has a genetic origin.”
He specifies that, if the study was conducted in Quebec, it is because the syndrome is more prevalent there than elsewhere in the world. “Preliminary studies indicated that, in the Quebec population, the prevalence was around 15% while elsewhere in the world, it varied from 5% to 10%. “
Restless legs syndrome is manifested in particular by sleep disturbances. “In Quebec sleep clinics,” explains Dr.r Rouleau, there are up to 5 times more cases of this syndrome than in similar clinics elsewhere in the world. “
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Xiong L, Montplaisir J, Desautels A, et al. Family study of restless legs syndrome in Quebec, Canada: clinical characterization of 671 familial cases. Arch Neurol. 2010 May;67(5):617-22.
2. Guy A Rouleau is a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal, director of the CHU-Sainte-Justine Research Center and a scientist at the CHUM Research Center.