RA and RLS Connection?

[DicCarlson]

Does anyone have a connection between RA (Rheumatoid arthritis) and RLS? I just started having problems (pain and stiffness) with my hands. I happened on this article detailing a possible connection between Brain Iron and both conditions. healthgrades.com/right-care...

[Joolsg]

Sounds interesting but the link won’t open for me. Says it’s from outside Europe and won’t let me open. As this is a UK website I suspect others will have the same problem.

[YodaDog in reply to Joolsg]

I'm in Switzerland and it opened for me

[Kaarina Administrator]

Have you been diagnosed with RA?

I found this:

huffpost.com/entry/restless...

"One link between RLS and RA conditions is that patients with either of these conditions usually display low levels of iron or iron stores in their blood. This review mentioned that clinical studies have shown benefit in RLS patients when they were treated with iron versus placebo (control). However, there have been no studies that have proven that specifically for RA patients who have RLS, the authors informed."

[DicCarlson in reply to Kaarina]

No, I haven't been diagnosed - but the connection to RLS is intriguing, especially the Brain Iron Deficiency. Here's another link - similar study... ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Eryl]

The link between the two is inflammation, most probably due to high insulin levels due to eating a high carb diet. It could be other causes like nightshade sensitivity, exposure to toxic mould or heavy metal poisoning, but those are less likely.

[DicCarlson in reply to Eryl]

Curious enough - I have a friend that has RA in total remission. She is 100% Keto. If she lapses - more than 30g of carbs/day - it comes back.

[Eryl in reply to DicCarlson]

It will be similar with rls, but the ammount might be different. You might get away with up to 100, that depends on your metabolism and how active you are and how much muscle you carry.

[Hidden]

I have severe RLS and lower leg Neuropathy. I have over the past 2 years stated having problems with my hands also. I have tried all the neuropathic meds with no help from them. I did how ever find out that xanax does give some relief, but I can't get the Drs to understand this. Usually 2 to 4 mgs will help sedate me long enough to get into a deep sleep. So until the Drs understand this its up late nights and kicking legs with a lot of frustration.

[Marlayna]

I’ve been wondering about the connection. I am 55 and in the last six months I’ve developed some serious pain. Had to go to ER and get a steroid shot in my neck, and am just getting by with Tylenol on the worst days.

I’ve been meaning to thank you for alerting me to iron, which has completely eliminated my RLS after suffering for 20 years! I’ve been more than six or seven months with zero symptoms.

I am going to try a Keto diet and see if it eliminates all the pain of some sort of inflammatory response.