Restless Legs Syndrome (cont.)

Medical Author:

Juan Latorre, MD

Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Diagnosis

For most people with restless legs syndrome (RLS), poor sleep and daytime sleepiness are the most bothersome symptoms. Many people do not link their sleep problem with the strange sensations in their legs. If a person has these sensations, be sure to mention it to a health care professional. This provides a very important clue to what is causing the person to sleep poorly.

Sleep disturbances have many different causes. A health care professional may ask the patient many detailed questions. These questions concern current medical problems, prior medical problems, family medical problems, medications, work history, travel history, personal habits, and lifestyle. The health care professional will look for signs of an underlying cause for the patient's sleep problem.

There is no lab test or imaging study that can prove that a person has RLS. However, certain tests can identify underlying medical causes such as anemia, other deficiencies, and metabolic disorders that could cause RLS.

• The patient may have blood drawn to check blood cell counts and hemoglobin, basic organ functions, chemistry, and thyroid hormone levels. The patient may also may be checked for certain infections that could cause secondary RLS.
• Needle electromyography and nerve conduction studies may be done if the health care professional sees signs of neuropathy.
• Polysomnography (sleep testing) may be necessary to diagnose the sleep disturbances and determine if the patient has periodic limb movements. This is especially important in people who continue to have significant sleep disturbances despite relief of RLS symptoms with treatment.