MADRID (EFE).— Restless legs syndrome is an uncontrollable need to move the legs and can seriously disrupt people’s lives. Now, a team of scientists has discovered the causes behind the disorder and suggests possible ways to treat it.
The researchers, who published their findings yesterday in Nature Genetics, have uncovered genetic clues behind the syndrome, which is common among older people, and their findings might help identify individuals at higher risk of developing it and identify options for care.
Restless legs syndrome, the magazine summarizes, can cause a dragging sensation in the legs and an overwhelming urge to move them. Although some people experience the symptoms occasionally, others suffer from them every day and they tend to get worse in the evening and at night.
Although the condition is relatively common – one in 10 older people experience symptoms, and up to 3 percent are severely affected and seek medical help – little is known regarding its causes, but patients often also suffer from depression or anxiety, cardiovascular disorders, hypertension and diabetes. Previous studies had identified 22 genetic risk “locations” – regions of the genome that contain changes associated with an increased risk of developing the condition – but there are as yet no biomarkers – genetic signatures – that can be used to diagnose the disease.
An international team led by experts from the Helmholtz Institute of Neurogenomics in Munich, the Institute of Human Genetics at the Technical University of Munich and the University of Cambridge analyzed data from three genome-wide association studies.
He compared the DNA of patients and healthy controls to look for the most common differences in those affected by restless legs syndrome.
Steven Bell, from the University of Cambridge, said the study was the largest of its kind on the disorder and that “by understanding the genetic basis of restless legs syndrome we hope to find better ways of managing and treating it, which might improve the lives of many millions of people affected around the world.”
The team identified more than 140 new genetic risk “locations,” including three on the X chromosome, and found no marked genetic differences between men and women, even though the disease is twice as common in women, suggesting that a complex interplay of genetics and environment (including hormones) may explain the gender differences.
Two of the identified genetic differences involve genes known as glutamate receptors 1 and 4, which are important for nerve and brain function.
These receptors might be targeted by existing drugs or used to develop new ones. Early trials have already shown positive responses to these drugs in patients with the syndrome.
The syndrome was also found to increase the risk of developing diabetes. Although low levels of iron in the blood are thought to be a trigger for restless legs, the experts found no strong genetic links to iron metabolism, although they said they cannot completely rule it out as a risk factor either.
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2024-07-19 02:19:52
