Restless legs syndrome diagnostic study of choice

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Mohamadmostafa Jahansouz M.D.[2]

Diagnostic Study of Choice

Study of choice

• Restless leg syndrome is mainly diagnosed based on clinical presentation.

Diagnostic Criteria

Many times, because there is no single test that can diagnose restless leg syndrome, the diagnosis of restless leg syndrome may be missed.

• Restless leg syndrome is mainly diagnosed based on clinical presentation.

• Restless leg syndrome may be diagnosed at any time if one or more of the following criteria are met:
  1. An urge to move the legs, accompanied with or caused by unpleasant sensations in the legs. Sometimes the urge is present without unpleasant sensations, and sometimes these sensations are present in arms.
  2. Urge to move the legs is present when resting or inactive.
  3. Urge to move the legs is partially or totally relieved with movement.
  4. Urge to move or unpleasant sensations are worse at night time as compared to day or only occur at night.

• Diagnosis of restless leg syndrome may be confirmed with:
  • Family history
  • Positive response to dopaminergic drugs.

• False positive diagnosis of RLS have been reported in more than 10% of the investigated populations and include conditions such as:
  • Nocturnal cramps
  • Various neuropathies

• Reatless leg syndrome may be underdiagnosed because of poor recognition of symptoms.
• No guideline has been published describing how the criteria should be applied, and there is a lack of information about how essential and supportive criteria or associated features are related.