"When I sleep well, I suddenly feel uncomfortable, especially in my knees and lower legs. When I move, my symptoms disappear." Tang Xiangdong, director of the Neurobiological Testing Center and the Center for Mental Health at West China Hospital of Sichuan University, introduced a hidden sleep disorder - restless leg syndrome at the 2023 World Sleep Day Science Popularization Lecture and National Free Clinic.
It is understood that restless leg syndrome is also known as hyperactivity leg syndrome or restless leg syndrome. The clinical manifestation is usually extreme discomfort in both lower limbs during nighttime sleep, which forces the patient to constantly move their lower limbs or walk on the ground, leading to severe sleep disorders in the patient. Although the disease is not life-threatening, it seriously affects the quality of life of patients.
Tang Xiangdong said that epidemiological investigations have shown that restless leg syndrome is mainly concentrated in Europe, especially in the French, with up to one-third of the patients. The prevalence rate in the Asian population is approximately 6%. In special populations, especially pregnant women, the second half of pregnancy occurs more frequently.
Tang Xiangdong said that at present, most people do not understand restless leg syndrome enough. If the symptoms are not severe, do not come to see a doctor. There are still some patients who have severe symptoms but do not know which department to see.
"A patient I encountered over a decade ago pinched his leg with scars and didn't have a good piece of meat." Tang Xiangdong introduced that limb movement disorders and restless leg syndrome are common conditions after the degeneration of the nervous system, which can occur in all age groups, but are more common in middle-aged and elderly people. Currently, there is insufficient medical understanding of the specific hazards of this disease, but there are many dangerous cases and even death cases in clinical practice.
Ye Jingying, vice president of the Institute of Precision Medicine at Tsinghua University, said that various disciplines actually need to break through the blind area of diagnosis and treatment. She said there is also a relationship between sleep disorders and mood. "If patients with insomnia are treated exclusively with sleeping pills without emotional adjustment, it may be difficult to obtain good treatment for insomnia and sleep maintenance.".
In addition, some patients with severe mental illness require sedative treatment during the treatment process. For example, patients with sleep apnea may experience significant weight gain during long-term use of therapeutic drugs. Ye Jingying mentioned that for the treatment of some severe mental patients, it is necessary to keep them in a deep sedation and sleep state. If no protective measures are taken for apnea at this time, there may be risks in the treatment.
