New studies on Restless Legs Syndrome or Willis-Ekbom Syndrome

Although Willis-Ekbom syndrome was first described in the 1940s it is in the last 20 years that it has received increased attention. This is due to the high prevalence in the general population. Other factors have also contributed such as the important advances in genetic characterisation the general boost provided by the rise of sleep medicine in the developed world or the potential morbidity factor that this disease represents for other diseases such as cardiovascular or metabolic diseases not to mention the important advances in treatment. As a result the number of patients diagnosed and treated for RLS has increased significantly in recent years.