The Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disorder link: evidences, biases and clinical relevance

Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2019 Jan;77(1):47-54. doi: 10.1590/0004-282X20180125.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) and restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disorder (RLS/WED) are relatively common diseases in the realm of movement disorders. The fact that both may, as expected, co-occur and typically share a similar remarkable response to dopaminergic treatment raised the interest in exploration of additional shared features that throughout the years cruised fields as diverse as phenomenology, epidemiology, genetics, pathology, and clinical studies. In this review, we describe and critically examine the evidence and biases of a conceivable overlap of these two disorders, trying to shed light onto two main sources of confusion: (1) are PD and RLS/WED reciprocal risk factors? and (2) what are the main mimics of RLS/WED in PD?

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Dopamine Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Parkinson Disease / diagnosis
  • Parkinson Disease / drug therapy*
  • Parkinson Disease / genetics
  • Parkinson Disease / physiopathology*
  • Restless Legs Syndrome / diagnosis
  • Restless Legs Syndrome / drug therapy*
  • Restless Legs Syndrome / genetics
  • Restless Legs Syndrome / physiopathology*
  • Risk Factors
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Dopamine Agents