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Aging News & Information
Kicking Spouse in Bed at Night Can Now Be Blamed on
Your Genes
Gene found responsible for Restless Legs
Syndrome affecting 10% of senior citizens
July 19, 2007 When your spouse complains about
you kicking your legs in the middle of the night, you can now blame it
on your genes. An international team of researchers has identified the
first gene associated with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), a common sleep
disorder affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. It is more
common in older people and up to ten percent of senior citizens are
affected.
Restless legs syndrome is a condition that produces
an intense, often irresistible urge to move the legs and is a major
cause of insomnia and sleep disruption.
People with RLS,
especially the elderly, may be at an increased risk of developing
cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study published in the
April 10, 2007, issue of Neurology.
RLS affects approximately 10 percent of the U.S.
population and about one percent of school-aged children. The discovery
provides strong new evidence that RLS is a genuine syndrome, a fact
which has recently been the subject of some debate.
The findings were published July 18 in the online
edition of the New England Journal of Medicine and will appear in an
upcoming printed edition of the journal. The work was led by scientists
at Emory University and deCODE Genetics, Inc., in Reykjavik, Iceland.
"We now have concrete evidence that RLS is an
authentic disorder with recognizable features and underlying biological
basis," says David Rye, MD, PhD, professor of neurology at Emory
University School of Medicine, director of the Emory Healthcare Program
in Sleep, and one of the study's lead authors.
"This is the most definitive link between genetics
and RLS that has been reported to date. We have known for quite some
time that the majority of RLS patients have a close family member with
the disorder, and now we have found a gene which is clearly linked to
RLS," says Dr. Rye.
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About Restless Legs Syndrome |
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Restless Legs - Also called: RLS
Restless legs syndrome (RLS)
causes a powerful urge to move your legs. Your legs
become uncomfortable when you are lying down or sitting.
Some people describe it as a creeping, crawling,
tingling or burning sensation. Moving makes your legs
feel better, but not for long.
In most cases, there is no known
cause for RLS. In other cases, RLS is caused by a
disease or condition, such as anemia or pregnancy. Some
medicines can also cause temporary RLS. Caffeine,
tobacco and alcohol may make symptoms worse.
Lifestyle changes, such as
regular sleep habits, relaxation techniques and moderate
exercise during the day can help. If those don't work,
medicines may reduce the symptoms of RLS.
National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute
>>
More info at MedlinePLUS
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The researchers report a population-attributable
risk for RLS of at least 50 percent, meaning that were the gene variant
not present, more than half of all RLS cases would disappear.
The variant is very common - nearly 65 percent of
the population carries at least one copy of the variant. Two copies of
the variant more than doubles one's risk of experiencing RLS.
According to Dr. Rye, having two copies does not
ensure that one will develop symptoms of RLS. "There remain
yet-to-be-identified medical, environmental or genetic factors that
appear necessary to translate genetic susceptibility into RLS symptoms,"
he says.
RLS researchers have known for some time that
anemia and low iron levels contribute to more severe RLS symptoms. The
current study revealed the gene variant to be more common in Icelandic
subjects deficient in iron.
The medical breakthrough is the result of a
four-year study led jointly by Dr. Rye and deCODE Genetics scientist Dr.
Hreinn Stefansson. With the goal of identifying genes causing RLS, the
research team conducted genome-wide scans of nearly 1,000 Icelanders and
188 Americans. A new chip technology was applied along with genome wide
association methods.
This approach allowed Drs. Rye and Stefansson to
probe more than 300,000 small regions (single nucleotides) distributed
across the entire genome for differences more common to RLS sufferers as
compared to population-based controls.
According to Dr. Rye, very little is known about
the function of the gene variant discovered.
"Additional work will be required to translate this
knowledge into a plausible mechanism and, in turn, more rational and
better treatments," notes Dr. Rye. "Future advances will depend upon
additional monies which to this point have come solely from private
foundations and industry."
Dr. Rye says RLS is exceedingly common but not
taught as a part of standard medical education, in part leading many
medical professionals, educators and academicians to challenge its
commonality and authenticity.
Editors Notes:
Donald L. Bliwise, PhD, professor of neurology at
Emory University, and Salina Waddy MD, an assistant professor of
neurology, also contributed to the study.
For more information on the Emory Sleep Center or
to schedule an appointment, please call 404-712-SLEEP.
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