Scientists have discovered certain genes linked to restless legs syndrome (RLS) -- an uncomfortable and sleep-robbing neurological disorder characterized by repeated movement of the legs, media reported Thursday.
The discovery, published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine and in the online edition of Nature Genetics, suggested the twitching condition is biologically based and not an imaginary disorder.
The new studies are the first to identify specific genes responsible for restless legs syndrome symptoms.
Research in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at blood samples from more than 1,000 Icelanders and Americans, comparing the DNA of leg twitchers to the DNA of people without the symptom. They linked a common gene variation to night time leg-twitching.
A second study in Nature Genetics compared the DNA of 400 people with a family history of the syndrome with the DNA of 1,600 without. The study identified the same gene variation and two others in Germans and Canadians with restless legs syndrome.
"This discovery demonstrates the power of genetics not only for uncovering the biological causes of disease, but also for defining diseases such as RLS and establishing them as medical conditions," said Dr Kari Stefansson, a prominent Icelandic scientist and co-author of the New England Journal study.
Restless legs sydrome is commonly treated with two U.S. government-approved drugs including the heavily advertised Requip, made by GlaxoSmithKline PLC. Sales of Requip reached about 500 million U.S. dollars last year.
Source:Xinhua/agencies
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