Restless Legs Syndrome in Nursing Practice

Abstract

Restless legs syndrome (RLS/WED) is one of the most important causes of sleep disorders. It is a sensorimotor neurological dysfunction, very common, and at the same time too rarely diagnosed. It is characterized by the compulsion to move the limbs, combined with unpleasant sensations located “deep inside the lower limbs” that subside after taking physical activity and stopping rest. Not all patients require pharmacological treatment. In a situation where the symptoms are not very severe, observation and non-pharmacological activities are sufficient. Other patients with symptoms that hinder everyday life require pharmacological treatment. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, the treatment may be temporary and or continuous. Due to the fact that the restless legs syndrome may occur in various diseases (Parkinson’s disease, in dialysis patients, patients with mental and cardiological diseases, pregnant women), it is important for nurses of different specializations to know the issues of symptoms, coping with them, rules for the use of the recommended treatment, which in the case of RLS may be associated with many adverse reactions. Nursing care is extremely important in the diagnostic and therapeutic process of restless legs syndrome. (JNNN 2018;7(4):166–172)