Restless Legs

A meta-analysis of nearly 365,000 people found smokers had higher rates of restless legs syndrome, but genetic analysis designed to test causation found no evidence smoking directly causes the disorder — pointing instead to shared underlying risk factors.

A pooled analysis of 252 patients across three randomized trials finds that a wearable nerve-stimulation device significantly eases restless legs syndrome symptoms and improves sleep, whether used alone or alongside medication.

A new study using a validated sensory processing model found that people with restless legs syndrome are far more sensitive to and avoidant of everyday sensory input than the general population — and the more severe their RLS, the more pronounced the pattern.

A multinational pharmacovigilance study found that just two widely prescribed psychiatric drugs, mirtazapine and quetiapine, accounted for more than 80% of newly diagnosed severe restless legs syndrome cases among psychiatric inpatients, often appearing within a day or two of starting or adjusting the dose.

A five-year study of hemodialysis patients found that muscle wasting and depression form a hidden chain linking kidney failure to restless legs syndrome — suggesting screening should look beyond iron and cardiorenal numbers.

A new review in Circulation Research finds that restless legs syndrome and the involuntary leg movements that accompany it may raise the risk of hypertension and heart disease through repeated nighttime blood pressure surges.

A study from Spain found that people with multiple sclerosis are about twice as likely to develop restless legs syndrome as those without the disease, with family history and pyramidal symptoms increasing the risk further.

In a major shift, sleep medicine experts now recommend iron supplements and gabapentin-type drugs as first-line treatments for restless legs syndrome, moving away from dopamine agonists that can make symptoms worse over time.