Topography of sensory symptoms in patients with drug-naïve restless legs syndrome.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to describe the sensory topography of restless legs syndrome (RLS) sensory symptoms and to identify the relationship between topography and clinical variables.

METHODS

Eighty adult patients with drug-naïve RLS who had symptoms for more than 1year were consecutively recruited. During face-to-face interviews using a structured paper and pencil questionnaire with all participants, we obtained clinical information and also marked the topography of RLS sensory symptoms on a specified body template, all of which were subsequently inputted into our in-house software. The RLS sensory topography patterns were classified according to localization, lateralization, and symmetry. We investigated if these sensory topography patterns differed according to various clinical variables.

RESULTS

The lower extremities only (LE) were the most common location (72.5%), and 76.3% of participants exhibited symmetric sensory topography. Late-onset RLS showed more asymmetric sensory distribution compared with early-onset RLS (P=.024). Patients whose sensory symptoms involved the lower extremities in addition to other body parts (LE-PLUS) showed more severe RLS compared with those involving the LE (P=.037).

CONCLUSION

RLS sensory symptoms typically were symmetrically located in the lower extremities. LE-PLUS or an asymmetric distribution more often occurred in patients with more severe RLS symptoms or late-onset RLS.