Willis-Ekbom Disease or Restless Legs Syndrome?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Medical Terminology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom Disease (WED), is a prevalent condition with widespread lack of awareness among patients and healthcare providers.
• Diagnostic criteria and terminology for RLS/WED remain subjects of ongoing debate.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether the specific term used—Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) or Willis-Ekbom Disease (WED)—influences self-diagnosis rates in a sample of newly graduated physicians.

Main Methods:

• Newly graduated physicians were randomly assigned to two groups for self-evaluation of RLS/WED.
• One group assessed for RLS using the term 'Restless Legs Syndrome,' while the other assessed for WED using 'Willis-Ekbom Disease.'
• Both groups used the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group diagnostic criteria.

Main Results:

• A total of 1413 physicians participated.
• 12.28% of physicians assessing for RLS self-diagnosed the condition.
• Only 1.84% of physicians assessing for WED self-diagnosed the condition (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

• Physicians were significantly more likely to self-diagnose RLS/WED when the term Restless Legs Syndrome was used.
• These findings suggest that the term Restless Legs Syndrome may hinder accurate diagnosis and potentially impact patient and physician understanding of WED.