There are various diseases in the world. Disease names are derived from the names of the people who discovered them, such as Gaucher’s disease, those that anyone can immediately imagine when they see it, such as hypertension, and those that are remembered only after seeing it many times, such as digital intrusive dendritic cell sarcoma. There are a wide variety of things, including things that are so complex that they can’t be explained.

When I was a medical student, the names of the diseases that shocked me were “restless leg syndrome” and “moyamoya disease.” This time, we will introduce restless leg syndrome, a condition that many patients come to our hospital for.
Restless legs syndrome is also known as restless legs syndrome or restless legs syndrome.

The main symptoms of this disease are, as the name suggests, a feeling of tingling, pain, and discomfort when sitting still, especially in the evening and late at night, especially in the feet. For example, the symptoms disappear quickly when you move your legs, such as walking, but they reappear when you stay still.
The cause of restless legs syndrome is still unknown, but it is likely that a dysfunction of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain, and a lack of iron, which is essential in the process of producing dopamine, are involved. That’s the theory.

Restless legs syndrome has an unknown cause (primary), or is caused by underlying conditions such as chronic renal failure, iron deficiency anemia, pregnancy, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, or rheumatoid arthritis (secondary). It is important to check to see if it is secondary, such as by taking a blood sample.
According to some data, 2-5% of Japanese people have this disease, and it is estimated that there are approximately 2 million patients who suffer from insomnia and other problems that interfere with their daily lives and require treatment. . It is also more common in middle-aged people over the age of 40, and is more common in women than men, and it is said that one in ten insomnia patients has restless leg syndrome.

The troublesome thing about this disease is that many people who feel itchy feet at night do not seek medical advice because they think that it is not a disease but a problem with their own constitution. Some patients have had this problem since childhood and have been said to be restless at night, and some patients have slept for decades with their feet tied with towels at night. One patient had become so accustomed to feeling itchy that she always believed that everyone around her was itchy when they slept. I was also very surprised to find that some people continued to deal with the problem in their own way, such as by applying adhesive to their feet before going to bed.
People with secondary symptoms can improve by treating the underlying disease, and even for primary cases, there are medications that can be prescribed under insurance.
As a result of the treatment, patients were happy with comments such as, “This is the first time I’ve been able to sleep so deeply!” ”I’ve been hesitant to consult a doctor for a small matter, but I’m so glad I took the plunge and consulted a doctor!” We have received a lot of feedback.
If you are unable to sleep because of restless legs, we strongly recommend that you visit a medical institution to improve the quality of your sleep.