Restless legs syndrome is a poorly understood and often misdiagnosed disorder and is believed to be a neurological disorder. Restless legs syndrome is a common cause of painful legs. Often called paresthesias (abnormal sensations) or dysesthesias, the sensations range in severity from uncomfortable to irritating to painful. It is characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable urge to move them for relief. Patients with RLS may also experience sleep disturbances and periodic leg movements either during sleep or while awake. It usually makes you feel like getting up and moving around. When you do so, the unpleasant feeling of restless legs syndrome goes away. The most distinctive or unusual aspect of the condition is that lying down and trying to relax activates the symptoms. People with RLS use words such as creeping, crawling, tingling, or burning to describe these feelings. Moving the legs eases the feelings, but only for a while. The unpleasant feelings may also occur in the arms. Restless leg syndrome usually begins slowly. Over time, the legs become more affected. Less frequently, restless leg syndrome can affect the arms.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is often unrecognized or misdiagnosed. Patients with RLS have an irresistible urge to move their legs, which is usually due to disagreeable sensations that are worse during periods of inactivity and often interfere with sleep. Restless legs syndrome may start at any age, including early childhood, and is a progressive disease for a certain percentage of sufferers, although it has been known for the symptoms to disappear permanently in some sufferers. Restless legs syndrome occurs in both genders, although the incidence may be slightly higher in women. It often affects members of the same family and recent research indicates that there may be an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. Symptoms get gradually worse over time in about two thirds of people with the condition and may be severe enough to be disabling. The symptoms are generally worse in the evening and night and less severe in the morning. A variety of different classes of drugs (eg. dopaminergic drugs, benzodiazepines, opiates, and anticonvulsants) are available for the management of idiopathic RLS.
Causes of Restless legs syndrome
The common causes and risk factor's of Restless legs syndrome include the following:
The cause of restless leg syndrome is unknown in most patients.
Smoking.
A family history of Restless legs syndrome.
Iron deficiency.
Chronic diseases such as kidney failure, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and peripheral neuropathy.
Psychiatric factors, stress, and fatigue.
Certain medications-such as antinausea drugs, antiseizure drugs.
Symptoms of Restless legs syndrome
Some sign and symptoms related to Restless legs syndrome are as follows:
Sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness are very common.
Origination during inactivity.
An unpleasant feeling in the legs
Nighttime leg twitching.
Increased symptoms in the afternoon, evening and night.
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep because of the unpleasant feelings in the legs or arms.
Treatment of Restless legs syndrome
Here is list of the methods for treating Restless legs syndrome:
Narcotic medications can relieve mild to severe symptoms, but they may be addicting if used in too high doses.
Patients with prominent varicose veins in the legs may benefit from Ted hose.
Get some exercise every day.
Decreased use of caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco may provide some relief.
You may benefit from physical therapy, such as stretching, hot or cold baths, whirlpool baths, hot or cold packs, limb massage, or vibratory or electrical stimulation of the feet and toes before bedtime.
Physicians also may suggest a variety of medications to treat RLS, including dopaminergics, benzodiazepines (central nervous system depressants), opioids, and anticonvulsants.
Lynch syndrome is a rare disorder. The condition is named after Henry Lynch, a doctor and authority on inherited cancers. The estimated proportion of all CRCs that are caused by Lynch syndrome depends on how this syndrome is defined, with traditional definitions being based on family history and age of onset. It is also known as hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome(HNPCC). It is caused by mutations or alterations of particular genes. Lynch syndrome strongly predisposes people who have this inherited defect to develop colorectal cancer as well as several other types of cancer. The genes associated with HNPCC can sometimes cause other cancers, such as stomach, ovary, endometrium (the lining of the womb) and kidney. HNPCC is an inherited cause of cancer of the bowel. The HNPCC syndrome is due to mutation in a gene in the DNA mismatch repair system, usually the MLH1 or MSH2 gene or less often the MSH6 or PMS2 genes. The syndrome is classified as Type I in the absence of extracolonic cancers and Type II if these are present. However, sarcomas have rarely been described in these families. The cancers of the colorectal area associated with the Lynch Syndromes usually develop at a younger age than is normally found in other persons with colorectal cancer.
The syndrome is neither common nor rare, occurring in one or two of every 1,000 people. Women with HNPCC have a 20-60% lifetime risk of endometrial cancer. In HNPCC, the gastric cancer is usually intestinal-type adenocarcinoma. Other HNPCC-related cancers have characteristic features: the urinary tract cancers are transitional carcinoma of the ureter and renal pelvis; the small bowel cancer is most common in the duodenum and jejunum; and the most common type of brain tumor is glioblastoma. When colorectal cancer is associated with Lynch syndrome, it tends to occur at a younger age than in most other colorectal cancer cases. Colorectal cancer associated with Lynch syndrome tends to occur in people at a younger age than for people with the more common nonhereditary forms of colorectal cancer. Family history can provide important clues to the presence of the Lynch syndrome. Different segments of the DNA strands contain genes responsible for different structures and functions in the body. For example, certain segments of DNA carry genes that determine one's eye color, hair color, height, and other physical characteristics. Other DNA segments of DNA carry genes that regulate the duplication and the rate of growth of cells.
Causes of Lynch syndrome
The common causes and risk factor's of Lynch syndrome include the following:
Lynch syndrome is caused by mutations or alterations of particular genes.
Age is the primary risk factor.
If you have a family history of Lynch syndrome, you're at much greater risk of inheriting this condition yourself.
Daily alcohol use (may double the risk).
Eating a high-fat, low-fiber diet.
Genetic disorders such as familial polyposis syndromes and hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer syndrome (HNPCC).
Not having periods, or not having them often.
Smoking is also a risk factor for Lynch syndrome.
Symptoms of Lynch syndrome
Some sign and symptoms related to Lynch syndrome are as follows:
Changes in bowel habits- for example, constipation or diarrhea that persists for longer than several days.
Change in appetite.
Abdominal pain and even an abdominal mass.
Feelings of fatigue or weakness.
Black, tarry stool, which may represent bleeding above the rectum.
Iron deficiency without another identifiable cause.
Rectal bleeding.
Fatigue associated with anemia.
Treatment of Lynch syndrome
Here is list of the methods for treating Lynch Syndrome:
When polyps associated with Lynch syndrome are present, doctors remove them during a colonoscopy.
Chemotherapy, which uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. This approach often follows surgery.
Surgery may also be an option in people who carry the genetic mutation of Lynch syndrome, even if they don't yet have colorectal cancer.
The standard treatment is to give radiotherapy after surgery to women in certain circumstances.
Most people with Lynch syndrome choose frequent colonoscopies over prophylactic surgery.
Juliet Cohen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Skin Cream, Alternative Medicine and Abdominal. Juliet Cohen writes articles for and . S. Juliet Cohen's top article generates over 3350000 views. to your Favourites.