Posted by jerrympls on June 7, 2003, at 13:14:04
In reply to Re: Anyone heard of a blood-test for RLS? » jerrympls, posted by Paulie on June 7, 2003, at 12:09:32
> A person can have a low ferritin level and not have RLS. You cannot say because a person has a low ferritin level, i.e., that person has RLS.
> A person with RLS though may have a low ferritin level which can intensify symptoms. It's a possible secondary cause out of several. Supplementation can be given if ferritin level is <50ng/ml.
>
> Etiology
>
> Primary RLS
> RLS is a central nervous system disorder.9 It is not caused by psychiatric factors or by stress but may contribute to or be exacerbated by these conditions. There is a high incidence of familial cases of RLS, suggesting a genetic origin for primary RLS.8 The exact mode of inheritance is unknown.8,10
>
> Secondary causes of restless legs syndrome include iron deficiency, spinal cord and peripheral nerve lesions, pregnancy, uremia and some medications.
>
> Secondary Causes of RLS
> Iron Deficiency. RLS may be associated with iron deficiency. A patient's iron stores may be deficient without significant anemia. Recent studies have shown that decreased iron stores (indicated by serum ferritin levels below 50 ng per mL [50 µg per L] can exacerbate RLS symptoms.11,12 Patients with newly diagnosed RLS or RLS patients with a recent exacerbation of symptoms should have their serum ferritin levels measured.
> for more info
> http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000701/108.html
>
> PaulHi Paul- thanks for your reply! Very interesting indeed! My sister started having increased symptoms after she broke her ankle. Even while on an opioid like hydrocodone,she still had "jumpy legs" (as she described it). I think her doc most likely used the ferritin level to make the diagnosis more sound because he's only a 4th year resident.
Anyway, thanks so much for the info!! I greatly appreciate it!
Jerry
poster:jerrympls
thread:232107
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030604/msgs/232173.html