Restless Legs Syndrome

Epidemiology

Although epidemiologic studies show a wide variation in the prevalence of RLS—dependent upon the population studied, the degree of scrutiny exercised, and the criteria used to diagnose the condition—RLS appears, in general, to affect approximately 7% to 12% of people of European extraction,3,102-115 with lower numbers identified in people of African93 and Asian descent.116-118 Specific populations, including the elderly, patients with ESRD, and pregnant women, have RLS at an increased rate compared with the general population, even in those ethnic populations in which RLS is virtually nonexistent. In most studies, women appear to be affected more often than men.