Is RLS hereditary?

[mgk_wales]

I am fairly new to having RLS (12 months or so) and have heard a number of comments about RLS being hereditary. With 2 kids, I would like to understand if there is truth in this and if there have been any studies on the probability of this being passed down. Are there statistics on this?

[Hidden]

yes and no is the answer, ok some of us "inherit" it through familys, thats called primary rls, but for some, it can be caused by other things, quiet a lot really, but im sure "nightdancer" will be answering your question soon as she seesit, she spot on with info.

jean- birmingham

[Hidden]

oo sorry for the typos there, blame it on this heat

[harecatcher]

definately yes for me - my mother has it and her father had it too

my brother has a very mild form as well

[Hidden]

Yes RLS can be inherited, mine is from my father, i have a brother who also has it

So, my father had the RLS gene and passed it on to me and my brother. But so far, my daughter and son havent shown any RLS symptoms, one or both could have inherited the RLS gene from me, but it hasnt been triggered. It can jump a generation from what i understand.

[nightdancer]

HI, there! Yes, there are two different kinds of RLS, Primary and secondary. Primary RLS is the genetic one. They discovered the two RLS genes back in 2007. For example, neither of my parents had/have RLS. Mom is still alive. :o) Both of my sisters have it, I am the oldest. The 2nd sister has two daughters and they both have it. It does not skip generations. my oldest niece's kids 5 and 8, both have RLS. We all also have PLMD, (movement in sleep, mostly kicking) . There are no hard statistics, but there have been a ton of studies on this, and they cannot figure out what triggers the gene in some people and not others. Clearly both of my parents or one of them carried the gene, and passed it on down. I can find the studies. One is on rls.org, the US RLS Foundation web site. Howvever I have better studies and writeups, but theirs is a good place to start. rlshelp.org

is an excellent web site for treatment info and drugs and foods to avoid, by an RLS expert I would trust with my life, and I have several times. ;o) I also have support groups on yahoo, and I have severa sets of parents with kids with RLS and other sleep disorders. You could really learn a lot hooking up with them. You can send me a private msg if you wish to. :o) I feel for the kids. Much easier to treat an adult than a child.

I also can answer a lot of questions if you need to ask, and everyone here is very helpful! :o)

Donna/USA

[mgk_wales in reply to nightdancer]

Thank you all so much for the responses. As I say, I have developed this late on in life (nearly 40) with no knowledge of anyone in my family having this so I guess I have secondary.

I'll check the links out Donna but may just PM you if you are OK with that

Matt/Mauritius

[nightdancer]

Just because you have RLS, it does certainly not mean that your kids WILL get it. just to be crystal clear. ;o)

[nightdancer]

HI, again,

sciencedaily.com/releases/2... is an excellent article, and they always cite studies, etc. This one explains how the genetics work. They estimate 60% of RLS cases are Primary RLS. Several good artices on this about the genetics, and the mutation they found. In the older articles they talk about looking for the mutation of the gene in Primary RLS. also see the article about the large family that had the gene , they suspected way back in 2005 if not before.

Nite! :o)

[Hidden in reply to nightdancer]

very interesting ..ty

[Cobourg]

Hi, my mother has it, I have and my son has it. My brother and his son have PLMD.

Margaret/Cardiff

[jumpylegs]

I am unaware of any relation having it.

[CathyS]

For many years I believed my RLS was not hereditary, since neither of my parents or their parents experienced it. I am one of 11 children, and the only one suffering from it. I am heartbroken though that 2 of my children (in their early 20's) are experiencing it. They sadly started earlier than I did (29) and I hope & pray that a CURE is found.

[nightdancer in reply to CathyS]

One of your grandparents, and then one of your oarents msut have had the gene and passed it down. For them, they were lucky; nothing triggered it for them. So sorry about the kids.

[CathyS in reply to nightdancer]

Genetically I'm sure you're right - maybe my parents were too busy w/the 11 of us to notice (not likely, eh?) I never understood why my mom felt guilty when the 3rd of her children was diagnosed w/MS -- until my kids started with the RLS. Now I get it. For me RLS is worse than MS, but I hope I haven't passed that to them too!

[nightdancer in reply to CathyS]

Did you know that people with MS are 11 times more likely to develop RLS, but not the other way around?

[Gmc54]

I don't think my parents had it, but my daughter definitely does. She is only 39.

[nightdancer in reply to Gmc54]

You can be 5 yrs old and have RLS. 39 is not young for RLS, FYI, since you said only 39. I was 14 when mine started. One of your oarents must have carried the gene; they just did not get it "triggered". Lucky. ;o)

[nightdancer]

RLS used to be thought to be an "older person's issue". Not nay more. Kids as young as 2 are being diagnosed. There is a huge demand for more research on RLS and kids. on rls.org there is a transcript of te conference I attended, and of the talk given by Dr. Judith Evans, who is a pediatrician who treats kids with RLS. that is a really good place to start with her. :o) It is under 2009 RLS conference that was held in Boston, Massachussetts.

Donna USA

[nightdancer in reply to nightdancer]

I was just looking at this, and the doctor's last name is Owens, not Evans. Brain Fog for me again! ;o)

[gertlushbird]

My Mum has it, not quite as bad as me but on several nights a week. I have been nagging her to get it investigated so she can get some relief from it but she says she can cope. My sister has it very mildly on rare occasions (...and yet still refusues to understand my compulsion to stand when it comes on grrrr!!) I don't have any children but have two nieces who, as far as I am aware, have not displayed any sign of it yet.

I would hate to pass this on to anyone!!

[nightdancer in reply to gertlushbird]

Tell your mother that sleep deprivation can lead to all kinds of other helath issues, like depression, high blood pressure, heart issues, etc.