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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Hormone changes in pregnant women put them at a higher risk of restless leg syndrome, a new study shows.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a sleep-related movement disorder where individuals have an irresistible urge to move their legs at night. RLS is often described by patients as burning, tingling, prickling or jittery feelings deep in the legs. These common symptoms of RLS can hinder a person's ability to sleep or disturb their daily sleep schedules.
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Researchers in Munich, Germany have found levels of estradiol, a steroid hormone, are higher in pregnant women with RLS. Nine healthy pregnant women and ten pregnant women with RLS participated in the study. During the last trimester, estradiol levels were 34,211 pg/mL in women with RLS, compared to 25,475 pg/mL in healthy women. This new information shows estradiol plays an active role in RLS during pregnancy.
"Our findings strongly support the concept that neuroactive hormones play a relevant pathophysiological role in RLS," Thomas Pollmacher, M.D., principal investigator, director of the Center for Medical Health at Klinkikum Ingolstadt and professor of psychiatry at Ludwig Maximillians University in Munich, Germany was quoted as saying. "This information will increase the understanding of RLS in pregnancy and will assist in the development of specific therapeutic approaches."
SOURCE: Sleep, 2009; 32:169-174
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