RLS in US veterans with Spinal Cord Injury

[Joolsg]

An interesting study shows a higher prevalence in veterans with Spinal Cord Injury. 19% .

It also confirms the difficulty patients have in describing the symptoms.

mdedge9-ma1.mdedge.com/auth...

[Kakally]

interesting.

[Joolsg in reply to Kakally]

It confirms previous studies about Spinal cord injury triggering RLS. And explains why 30% of MS patients also have RLS. All the lesions in the spinal cord.

[Kakally in reply to Joolsg]

Yes I wonder why the sleep specialists excluded those other RLS positive patients who were said to have RLS…. Maybe they really should mostly have been included?

[Munroist in reply to Kakally]

I suspect they wanted to make sure that the only thing which might cause RLS was the spine lesions otherwise it’s difficult to make a connection. They wouldn't be sure whether it was the other thing which caused the RLS e.g. iron deficiency or Parkinson’s so they excluded patients who had other possible causes.

[Kakally in reply to Munroist]

Mmmm not sure….. but maybe.. I must read more

But thanks for that

[Eryl]

Hardly suprising since vets with spinal chord injuries are likely to do less exercise and hence find it harder to control their blood sugar.

[Joolsg in reply to Eryl]

Nothing to do with blood sugar. It's to do with the flow of dopamine up the spinal column. That's why 30% of MS patients have RLS. And many will be following exercise programmes and following restricted diets.

[Eryl in reply to Joolsg]

High blood sugar causes oxidative stress which auses inflammation which caauses RLS. Dopamine is a neuro transmitter in the brain, it doesn't flow in the spinal column.

[Joolsg in reply to Eryl]

Really? Well, as usual Eryl, I disagree with you. Your diet doesn't solve every disease in the world.

Viruses cause inflammation too.

frontiersin.org/journals/ne...

[Eryl in reply to Joolsg]

Yes viruses cause inflammation but have that many people with spinal cord innudies also got viruses?

[Joolsg in reply to Eryl]

No. But all the people with MS and RLS do. Epstein Barr Virus.RLS in spinal cord damage is not caused or helped by diet.

[Eryl in reply to Joolsg]

But the study was about vets with RLS, not vets with MS.

[davchar23]

Dear Joolsg,

I hope you feeling better.

I thought I would just pass on my thought on the article.

I suffered back pain for many years due to a tethered spinal cord. I had an operation to detether the cord in 2019. I did have very mild RLS before the operation but afterwards the RLS got gradually worse and that is when my GPs led me down the DA path and you know the rest of my story.

Best regards

Davchar

[Joolsg in reply to davchar23]

That is a common story Davchar. Any operation on the spine can trigger RLS.

[Merny5]

Interesting read Jools. There are a vast variety of causes for RLS I imagine that is why the treatment and remedies are different for each individual.

[Joolsg in reply to Merny5]

Agreed. Apparently it's why it's called a syndrome, rather than a disease. Many different causes & solutions.