Restless head syndrome: A retrospective study

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by an urge to move with an unpleasant sensation in the lower limbs. RLS typically affects the legs. However, it can also affect several other body regions, such as the arms, abdomen, face, neck, head, and genital area. There are only a few reports of the RLS variant affecting the head.

To assess the epidemiological, clinical, and other aspects of the RLS variant affecting the head.

We conducted a retrospective study of 17 adult patients (> 18 years) who met the RLS criteria and simultaneously experienced RLS-like symptoms in the head.

The median age at which symptoms appeared was 41.6 years. Males and females were equally affected (1.1:1). All 17 patients had uncomfortable sensations in the lower legs. Insomnia or disturbed sleep was the most common comorbidity (n = 16, 88.2%). However, headache was the most common presenting or primary symptom (n = 10, 70.5%). Dizziness or an abnormal sensation in the head was the second most common presenting symptom (5 patients, 29.4%). Other presenting features were leg pain, backache, and generalized body pain. All patients responded favorably to dopaminergic medications.

If RLS-related unpleasant sensations and pain are felt in the head, they may be misinterpreted as headache, dizziness, or psychosomatic symptoms. RLS and headaches in a subset of patients may be two phenotypic manifestations of the same disorder.