| Restless legs syndrome is an odd, yet common | | | | "You actually wake up a little bit when they |
| disorder that causes people to continually | | | | do sleep studies and during that period of |
| move their legs, especially at night when | | | | awakening or almost awaking the blood |
| they're trying to fall asleep. | | | | pressure goes up and then it comes down |
| | | | again, and then you have frequent little |
| As if that wasn't bad enough, now there's new | | | | awakening, frequent little increases in blood |
| research that shows it may increase one's | | | | pressure,"says Dr. Howard Maker, a |
| blood pressure and overall risk for | | | | neurologist at Beth Israel Medical Center. |
| cardiovascular disease. | | | | |
| | | | The study found blood pressure rates during |
| This is a neurological problem, sort of in | | | | periodic leg movements rose by an average of |
| the same family as Parkinson's. | | | | 20 points for the systolic reading, which is |
| | | | the top number, and by an average of 11 |
| Restless legs syndrome is an odd, yet common | | | | points for the diastolic reading, which is |
| disorder that causes people to continually | | | | the bottom or second number. |
| move their legs, especially at night when | | | | |
| they're trying to fall asleep. | | | | The authors argue that drastic blood pressure |
| | | | surges at night have been associated with a |
| As if that wasn't bad enough, now there's new | | | | higher rate of stroke in the elderly. |
| research that shows it may increase one's | | | | |
| blood pressure and overall risk for | | | | Dr. Maker though, says the jury is still out |
| cardiovascular disease. | | | | with RLS. "Restless leg syndrome may or may |
| | | | not have a bad effect on the cardiovascular |
| This is a neurological problem, sort of in | | | | system it hasn't been proven that these |
| the same family as Parkinson's. | | | | little increases in blood pressure have been |
| | | | dangerous, we do know that the patients are |
| But this latest research does indeed suggest | | | | grateful that the restless legs is diminished |
| a spill-over effect on the cardiovascular | | | | and that is what we are treating, we are |
| system. | | | | making the patients feel better, their |
| | | | quality of life improves." |
| Helen Catlin is a nurse who can tell you | | | | |
| first hand what being a patient with restless | | | | And, by treating the restless legs, the blood |
| legs syndrome is like. | | | | pressure issue presumably would go away. |
| | | | |
| Patients with RLS may report an almost | | | | Helen's blood pressure typically runs in the |
| irresistible urge to move the legs. | | | | low range, so she's not at risk; but the |
| | | | medications have changed her life in the more |
| The sensations usually are worse during | | | | obvious way. "I get a good night sleep, on |
| inactivity. | | | | the medication I am relieved of the symptoms |
| | | | totally. I wouldn't know what I would do |
| "It would bother me at night, sometimes I | | | | without it." |
| would have trouble going to sleep or | | | | |
| sometimes it would wake me up at night, it | | | | Dr. Maker points out this was studied in only |
| would be a sensation of not pain, but enough | | | | ten patients, so, a bigger study is required. |
| discomfort that you would have to move, an | | | | |
| ache a real ache that would only be relieved | | | | That shouldn't be hard to do, because RLS is |
| by moving your legs, " says Helen. "As it | | | | very common as we mentioned. Affecting about |
| progressed I realized I was waking up because | | | | 10-15% of the general population, with men |
| my legs were bothering me." | | | | and women affected equally. It is often |
| | | | unrecognized or misdiagnosed. |
| And those frequent awakenings, common for | | | | |
| those with RLS, appear to create a | | | | Many patients are not diagnosed until 10-20 |
| cardiovascular risk. | | | | years after symptom onset. |
| | | | |