in the white Caucasian population, adult prevalence figures for restless legs syndrome (RLS) or periodic limb movements range between 5 and 29 per cent (1)
with reference to the MEMO study results, it is likely to be in excess of five million people in the UK who have RLS (1,2)
in the United States and Northern Europe around 7 to 10% of the general population are diagnosed with RLS (3)
prevalence and disease severity seems to increase with age (3)
the incidence is higher in women (3)
RLS presents mostly in middle age - however onset occurs before the age of 20 in up to 43 per cent of adult cases (1)
many patients will have a mild form of RLS
however in some the symptoms may be very severe - these patients will often request and need treatment
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