[Successful clonidine treatment of restless leg syndrome in chronic kidney insufficiency]

Restless legs syndrome is a common and sometimes incapacitating disorder in chronic uraemic patients. While therapeutic concepts have so far been disappointing, there have been recent reports on the favourable effect of clonidine in non-uraemic patients with symptoms of restless legs syndrome. Therefore, a double-blind study was conducted in 20 patients with chronic renal failure (11 conservatively treated, 9 on RDT) and symptoms of restless legs. 10 patients were treated with 0.075 mg clonidine twice daily and 10 received placebo. The patients were investigated 3 days after starting therapy. - In the clonidine-treated group complete relief of symptoms was noted in 8 out of 10 patients, a striking alleviation in one, while in one further patient the symptoms remained unchanged. In contrast, only one of 10 patients in the placebo group had a mild alleviation of symptoms. Blood pressure did not differ significantly in the two groups. The data show that low-dose clonidine administration is a very effective approach in the treatment of the restless legs syndrome in chronic uraemic patients.