Restless Legs Awareness Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Restless Legs Syndrome

Every year on September 23, Restless Legs Awareness Day is observed to bring attention to this medical condition or syndrome. Willis-Ekbom Disease is a lifelong neurological condition characterized by an insatiable urge to move the legs to alleviate unpleasant sensations such as creeping, crawling, pulling, tingling, or burning. In accordance with the National Institutes of Health, symptoms typically manifest in the late afternoon or evening and are frequently at their worst at night. In the United States, approximately 12 million persons suffer from restless legs syndrome.

The background of Restless Legs Awareness Day

Every year on September 23, Restless Legs Awareness Day is observed to bring attention to this neurologic and sleep-related movement disorder. The first Restless Legs Syndrome Awareness Day was observed on September 23, 2012. Today is the birthday of Professor Karl-Axel Ekborn, a Swedish neurologist who described this disease in detail in his 1945 dissertation. Sir Thomas Willis described RLS for the first time in 1672. Consequently, restless legs syndrome is referred to as Willis-Ekbom disease.

Certain gene variants, insufficient iron levels in the brain, alterations to the dopamine system, and underlying conditions such as essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease are believed to contribute to restless legs syndrome.

Although there is no cure, several FDA-approved pharmaceuticals are available to treat RLS, including Ropinirole, marketed by GlaxoSmithKline as Requip; Mirapex, developed by Boehringer Ingelheim; Horizant, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and XenoPort Inc; and Neupro, created by Schwarz Pharma.

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5 SURPRISE FACTS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME

The connection between reduced iron levels and restless legs has been intensively studied. According to research, individuals with restless legs have lower iron levels than average.

According to their patients’ physicians, many instances of restless legs can be traced to underlying venous issues. A recent study found that 98 percent of individuals with varicose veins were assisted by non-surgical vein therapy.

Approximately one-third of pregnant women suffer from restless limb syndrome, and symptoms are most likely to manifest in the final three months of pregnancy. Although the exact cause is unknown, physicians suspect low folate and iron levels are to blame.

Forty to ninety percent of those affected by restless legs syndrome have at least one close relative with the same condition. The early-onset variant (symptoms before 45 years of age) is more frequently inherited than the late-onset variant (symptoms after 45 years of age).

Peripheral neuropathy, a disorder of the nervous system, can contribute to the development of restless limb syndrome. Frequent causes include nerve damage resulting from an injury, infection, illness, or diabetes.

RESTLESS LEGS AWARENESS DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	September 23	Saturday
2024	September 23	Monday
2025	September 23	Tuesday
2026	September 23	Wednesday
2027	September 23	Thursday