Company Press Release
SOURCE: Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000329/mn_restles_1.html

Prevalence of Restless Legs Syndrome May be Higher than Anticipated, Say
Researchers from
Stanford and Johns Hopkins Universities

Restless Legs Syndrome Awareness Day Sheds Light on Debilitating
Disease

ROCHESTER, Minn., March 29, 2000 /PRNewswire/ -- Restless legs syndrome
(RLS), a movement disorder that affects more than 12 million Americans,
may be more prevalent than researchers once speculated. According to
researchers from Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University who
are working on a restless legs study in the U.S., over 15% of a medical
patient population reported symptoms of RLS. Previous studies on the
prevalence of RLS in the general population estimated this disorder to
be present in only 3% to 10% of the population.

"These exciting results demonstrate that in a standard medical practice
there is a significant population of people who suffer from restless
legs syndrome for whom effective treatment is available and can
significantly improve both their sleep and their quality of life," said
Richard Allen, M.D., of Johns Hopkins University, commenting on this
important finding on Restless Legs Syndrome Awareness Day, March 29,
2000, during the National Sleep Foundation's National Sleep Awareness
Week.

Characterized by unpleasant leg sensations that occur usually while the
affected individual is at rest, restless legs syndrome is described by
patients as feeling like an "electrical current", "internal itch" or a
"creeping or crawling" sensation. Symptoms
worsen in severity from daytime to nighttime, at times making it
difficult to sleep or causing the patient to wake up in the middle of
the night. Complaints of chronic bedtime leg restlessness are highly
prevalent.

"Restless legs syndrome is a real disease that can impact quality of
life for these patients," said Catherine F. Murray, Executive Director
of the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, Rochester, MN. "Because of its
name, restless legs syndrome may sound trivial, but it is a real and
treatable disorder. Restless legs syndrome can have a devastating impact
on quality of life for afflicted individuals -- affecting their ability
to work, travel and engage in social activities while also affecting
their family members."

The ongoing study, a venture involving researchers from Stanford and
Johns Hopkins Universities, was founded in the summer of 1999. The study
is supported by the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation.

According to Dr. Allen, the goals of the study are to determine if the
high prevalence of restless leg-type symptoms in the study population
translates to a higher prevalence of RLS in the general population. In
addition, the project is researching the severity and morbidity of RLS
before and after treatment and developing a training module to prepare
primary care
physicians to recognize, accurately diagnose and treat RLS.

"We believe that that to a large extent RLS and other sleep disorders
can be treated through the family physician," said Dr. Allen. "By
educating the family physician about RLS, a greater number of people who
suffer with the disorder can be diagnosed and treated."

Traditional drug therapies for restless legs syndrome include older
dopaminergic agents such as levodopa, bromocriptine and pergolide, and
benzodiazepines, opioids and anticonvulsants. These medications have
varying degrees of effectiveness in relieving symptoms of RLS.

Recent studies have revealed that the newer dopamine agonists used to
treat Parkinson's disease, such as pramipexole (dihydrochloride
tablets), are the most effective treatment options. A study presented
last year at the Association of Professional Sleep Societies annual
meeting showed that pramipexole had major therapeutic effects on sensory
and motor
manifestations of restless legs syndrome and alleviated restlessness at
bedtime and during the night. Pramipexole is a second-generation
dopamine agonist currently indicated for the treatment of early and late
stage idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The FDA approved the medication
(Mirapex®, pramipexole, dihydrochloride tablets) for use in Parkinson's
disease in 1997.

National Sleep Awareness Week (NSAW) is a public education campaign
designed to show Americans the value of a good night's sleep and how to
get it. This collaborative effort to bring greater attention to the
importance of good sleep to health, productivity and safety, the
consequences of lack of sleep and poor sleep and what can be done to
improve sleep
problems, is managed by the National Sleep Foundation. The National
Sleep Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes
public understanding of sleep and sleep disorders and supports
sleep-related education, research and advocacy to improve public health
and safety. During this week when the National Sleep Foundation is
highlighting the importance of getting a good night's sleep, the
Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation is taking the opportunity to raise
awareness of one of the primary causes of sleep disturbance.

The Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, headquartered in Rochester, MN,
is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) agency that provides information about RLS,
publishes a quarterly newsletter known as NightWalkers, develops support
groups and funds research to find better treatments and, eventually, a
definitive cure. For more information about the Restless Legs Project or
restless legs syndrome, please call the patient hotline at 1-877-INFO
RLS or visit the foundation's web site at http://www.rls.org.

  Copyright © 2000 Yahoo!/Copyright 2000 PRNewswire.

--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
[log in to unmask]
                        Today’s Research...
                                Tomorrow’s Cure