Does anyone know of anything that works for Restless Leg Syndrome? Dan **
Had this in my files. Sharon _________________________________________ Sleep [2005] 28 (9) : 1069-1075 (Earley CJ, Connor JR, Beard JL, Clardy SL, Allen RP.) Ferritin levels in the cerebrospinal fluid and restless legs syndrome: effects of different clinical phenotypes. STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) and controls differ in regard to levels of ferritin and transferrin in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) when samples are collected at night, to determine whether patients with early-onset and late-onset RLS show a different outcome for CSF values, and to determine whether the CSF ferritin level correlates with disease severity. DESIGN: Collection of CSF and plasma; assessment of disease severity using objective (periodic limb movements) and subjective (Johns Hopkins Restless Legs Severity Scale) measures of severity. SETTING: General Clinical Research Center. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty subjects with idiopathic RLS (15 early- and 15 late-onset RLS) and 22 age- and sex-matched controls. INTERVENTION: N/A. RESULTS: Nighttime CSF ferritin levels were lower in the total RLS group compared with controls. Further assessment found that the early-onset (less than 45 years of age) but not the late-onset (greater than or equal to 45 years of age) RLS group had significantly lower CSF ferritin levels compared with controls. There was a strong correlation between the age of symptom onset and CSF ferritin values (r = 0.64): the earlier the age, the lower the ferritin level. A regression analysis showed that both sex and RLS subtype had significant effects on the CSF ferritin level, with women with early-onset RLS having substantial lower values than men with late-onset RLS. A comparison between these nighttime CSF values and previously published daytime samples suggests that diurnal changes may have effects on the findings. CONCLUSIONS: This study is distinct in showing that the degree of the CSF-ferritin effect is best defined by the clinical phenotypes of sex and age of symptom onset and by the time of day that samples are collected. Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 10:56 pm Post subject: Ferritin levels are decreased in RLS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine [2006] 147 (2) : 67-73 (Clardy SL, Earley CJ, Allen RP, Beard JL, Connor JR.) Ferritin subunits in CSF are decreased in restless legs syndrome. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder that may be related to iron misregulation at the level of the central nervous system. Evidence that iron is involved in RLS comes from magnetic resonance imaging data, autopsy studies, analyses of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and correlations of symptoms with serum ferritin. Methods : To further examine the possibility that brain iron status is insufficient in RLS, we determined ferritin levels in the CSF. Specifically, we differentiated between the H- and L-subunits of ferritin, because these peptides are expressed from different chromosomes and have different functions. We measured H- and L-ferritin subunit levels in control and RLS human CSF using immunoblot analysis and found that both H- and L-ferritin are significantly decreased in early but not late-onset RLS. Additionally, we quantified total protein in each CSF sample to establish that the decrease in ferritin subunits in RLS did not reflect a decrease in total protein in CSF. Furthermore, we used equal amounts of total CSF protein in the immunoblot analyses, in contrast to previously published studies that provided only volumetric data, to determine which approach was more accurate for quantifying the amount of ferritin relative to other proteins in CSF. Results : Our results establish a protein standard in RLS, provide a comparative analysis of protein-controlled versus volumetric immunoblot techniques, and argue for a profound loss of iron storage capacity in the brain in RLS, specifically in the early onset RLS phenotype. Conclusions : These data suggest that CSF ferritin levels may provide a biomarker for assisting in the diagnosis of RLS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Neurology [2005] 64: 1920-1924 (Högl B et al) Study supports iron deficiency theory in restless legs syndrome Austrian and Italian researchers find a high prevalence and under-recognition of restless legs syndrome in the general community. In white adults in Europe and the USA, very similar prevalence rates of restless legs syndrome (RLS) of about 10 per cent have been reported. The distribution of disease severity in the general population has not been investigated systematically. Although the negative impact of RLS on quality of life is beyond doubt, very few patients receive drug treatment. Decreased iron concentrations in the substantia nigra and nucleus ruber have been suggested in a study of patients with RLS. Dr B Högl and colleagues assessed the prevalence and severity of RLS in the general community and investigated its potential relationship with iron metabolism and other potential risk factors. This was a cross-sectional study of a sex- and age-stratified random sample of the general population (Bruneck study), which included 701 people aged 50-89. The diagnosis of RLS was established by interviews, and severity was graded on the RLS severity scale. Each subject underwent a thorough clinical examination and extensive laboratory testing. The prevalence of RLS was 10.6 per cent (14.2 per cent in women, 6.6per cent in men); 33.8 per cent of all patients with RLS had mild, 44.6 per cent had moderate, and 21.6 per cent had severe disease expression. None had been previously diagnosed. Free serum iron, transferrin and ferritin concentrations were similar in subjects with and without RLS. However, soluble transferrin receptor (sTR) concentrations were higher in subjects with RLS. Female sex and high sTR independently predicted the risk of RLS. Dr Högl and co-workers stated, "The finding of a significant association between high sTR concentrations, a sensitive marker of incipient systemic iron deficiency, and RLS in the Bruneck study lends the first epidemiologic support to the iron deficiency hypothesis." He added, "Although two-thirds of patients had moderate to severe disease, none was on current dopaminergic therapy." ------------------------------------------------------------- -- The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. 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