May 4, 2022

BBC Reel Examines Restless Legs Syndrome

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a condition of the nervous system that, in its most serious form, can be highly debilitating. It is thought to affect roughly 10 percent of people worldwide, so how come it is still relatively unknown and poorly understood?

BBC Reel's Howard Timberlake goes in search of some facts and discovers that the condition, and some of the medication used to treat it, throws up more questions than it does answers.

Claudia Trenkwalder, MD, a former member of the RLS Foundation Medical Advisory Board, is featured discussing the genetics of RLS. Also mentioned is the Mayo Clinic Proceedings new guidelines making iron and alpha-2-delta ligands first-line treatment for RLS. The RLS Foundation has made these guidelines open access for free download here.

This short video points out the need for physician education about RLS. At the RLS Foundation we have developed an online physician education webinar series, and we have certified 12 RLS Quality Care Centers staffed by physicians with extensive experience in treating patients with severe RLS.