RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME DIAGNOSIS |
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A careful history enables the physician
to distinguish Restless Legs Syndrome from similar types of disorders that cause night
time discomfort in the limbs, such as muscle cramps, burning feet
syndrome, and damage to nerves that detect sensations or cause
movement (polyneuropathy).
The most important tool the doctor has in diagnosis is the history
obtained from the patient. There are several common medical
conditions that are known to either cause or to be closely
associated with Restless Legs Syndrome. The doctor may link the patient's symptoms to
one of these conditions, which include anemia, diabetes, disease of
the spinal nerve roots (lumbosacral radiculopathy), Parkinson's
disease, late-stage pregnancy, kidney failure (uremia), and
complications of stomach surgery. In order to identify or eliminate
such a primary cause, blood tests may be performed to determine the
presence of serum iron, ferritin, folate, vitamin B 12, creatinine,
and thyroid-stimulating hormones. The physician may also ask if
symptoms are present in any close family members, since it is common
for Restless Legs Syndrome to run in families and this type is sometimes more difficult
to treat.
In some cases, sleep studies such as polysomnography are undertaken
to identify the presence of PLMS that are reported to affect 70-80%
of people who suffer from Restless Legs Syndrome. The patient is often unaware of these
movements, since they may not cause him to wake. However, the
presence of PLMS with Restless Legs Syndrome can leave the person more tired, because
it interferes with deep sleep. A patient who also displays evidence
of some neurologic disease may undergo electromyography (EMG).
During EMG, a very small, thin needle is inserted into the muscle
and electrical activity of the muscle is recorded. A doctor or
technician usually performs this test at a hospital outpatient
department. |
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