RLS
Medical abbreviation · Neurology
| Stands for | Restless legs syndrome |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
RLS stands for Restless legs syndrome, a neurology abbreviation.
Neurological sensory-motor disorder causing an irresistible urge to move the legs, usually with uncomfortable sensations, that worsens in the evening and at rest and is relieved by movement. It disrupts sleep and affects several percent of adults to a clinically significant degree.
Example: RLS symptoms every evening, ferritin 32; IV iron arranged before considering other drugs.
Usage notes
Also called Willis-Ekbom disease. Iron deficiency, pregnancy, kidney failure and some medications, including antihistamines and many antidepressants, worsen symptoms. Recent American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidance favors iron replacement and gabapentinoids and advises against routine use of dopamine agonists because of augmentation, a paradoxical worsening over time.
Related abbreviations
More neurology abbreviations
- PRES – Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
- PSP – Progressive supranuclear palsy
- PTC – Pseudotumor cerebri
- PVS – Persistent vegetative state
- RBD – REM sleep behavior disorder
- RCVS – Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome
- RRMS – Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
- SAH – Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- SCI – Spinal cord injury
- SDH – Subdural hematoma
- SE – Status epilepticus
- SMA – Spinal muscular atrophy
See all 131 neurology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.