Restless legs syndrome

NEW YORK, July 26 (Praxis Press) Treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS) is available, but most instances of RLS may remain undiagnosed. To determine the prevalence and health status correlates of symptoms of RLS in the general population Phillips and colleagues interviewed 1,803 men and women, 18 years and older as part of the 1996 Kentucky Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. They found that 3% of participants aged 18 to 29 years, 10% of those aged 30 to 79 years, and 19% of those 80 years and older experienced restless legs 5 or more nights per month. They also found that restless legs were significantly associated with increased age and body mass index, lower income, smoking, lack of exercise, low alcohol consumption, and diabetes. The prevalence of restless legs in the general adult population is high.