Treating restless legs syndrome: current pathophysiological concepts and clinical trials.
Restless legs syndrome is a distinctive clinical syndrome with a prevalence of about 5% in the general population. One of the outstanding characteristics of restless legs syndrome is its extreme responsiveness to dopaminergic agents. Together with the latest pathophysiological and genetic findings, recent epidemiological and clinical data give a new insight into the classification of restless legs syndrome, thus building the theoretical foundation for the development of new pharmacological methods in its treatment. Current efforts within this area focus on establishing dopaminergic substances for therapy. The hypothesis of a disturbed iron metabolism in restless legs syndrome has been revived by recent theoretical considerations. The present review attempts to explain current strategies of treatment for restless legs syndrome in relation to aetiological, genetic and pathophysiological findings.
Walther
Björn Wito
BW
Department of Neurology, HELIOS Klinikum Erfurt, P.O. Box 101263, 99012 Erfurt, Germany. ab.walther@t-online.de
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D012148:Restless Legs Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology
D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D007501:Iron