[Pramipexole therapy of restless legs syndrome]

The restless legs syndrome is a disorder belonging to the family of movement disorders during sleep, often remains unrecognized, although it is the second most common cause of chronic sleep deficiency and daytime sleepiness. In accordance with international guidelines, pharmacotherapy of this disorder should begin with a dopamine agonist. Owing to their efficacy and favorable safety profile, newly introduced, selective dopamine agonists have become extensively used for this purpose. This study evaluated the efficacy of one of the products in this group, pramipexole. Fifty-one patients suffering from idiopathic restless legs syndrome underwent monotherapy with pramipexole in daily doses of 0.25 to 1.0 mg. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated using three tools, i.e. follow-up questionnaires, actigraphy, and Forced Immobilisation Test. An excellent therapeutic effect was seen in more than 80 per cent of the study population. As shown by findings of the follow-up questionnaires, pramipexole resulted in substantial improvements of both daytime and nighttime symptoms of RLS. Actigraphy monitoring demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the ratio of time spent without limb movement to the time spent in bed; furthermore, the result of the Forced Immobilisation Test also improved. It seems fair to conclude from the findings of this study that pramipexole monotherapy is an effective treatment in restless legs syndrome.