Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2021 Mar 24;14(3):e240686.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2020-240686.

Dopa responsive irritable bowel syndrome: restless bowel syndrome or a gastrointestinal variant of restless legs syndrome?

Sanjay Prakash  1 , Anurag Prakash  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Dopa responsive irritable bowel syndrome: restless bowel syndrome or a gastrointestinal variant of restless legs syndrome?

Sanjay Prakash et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

In addition to the legs, restless legs syndrome (RLS) affects various other parts of the body, including the arms, abdomen, face, head-neck, oral cavity, genital area and bladder. RLS is also associated with several comorbid conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We are reporting two cases of RLS who also had IBS, fulfilling the Rome IV criteria. The administration of levodopa and dopamine agonists provided a complete improvement in both IBS and RLS. Review of the literature suggest that the clinical semiology and clinical pattern of IBS (urge to defaecate, abdominal pain, abdominal distension, bloating, disturbed sleep and circadian rhythm) simulate the semiology and pattern of RLS. Similarities are also noted in the associated comorbid conditions, effective drugs and proposed hypotheses for both clinical syndromes. We hypothesise that RLS may affect intestine, and IBS-like symptoms in a subset of patients with RLS may be the part of RLS symptoms complex.

Keywords: irritable bowel syndrome; movement disorders (other than parkinsons); pain (neurology); sleep disorders (neurology).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Oka P, Parr H, Barberio B, et al. . Global prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome according to Rome III or IV criteria: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020;5:908–17. 10.1016/S2468-1253(20)30217-X - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lovell RM, Ford AC. Global prevalence of and risk factors for irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2012;10:712–21. 10.1016/j.cgh.2012.02.029 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ohayon MM, O'Hara R, Vitiello MV. Epidemiology of restless legs syndrome: a synthesis of the literature. Sleep Med Rev 2012;16:283–95. 10.1016/j.smrv.2011.05.002 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Acay A, Bal A, Oruc S, et al. . Does frequency of restless legs syndrome and poor sleep quality increase with age in irritable bowel syndrome? Wien Klin Wochenschr 2016;128:604–9. 10.1007/s00508-016-1065-y - DOI - PubMed
    1. Allen RP, Picchietti DL, Garcia-Borreguero D, et al. . Restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease diagnostic criteria: updated International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) consensus criteria--history, rationale, description, and significance. Sleep Med 2014;15:860–73. 10.1016/j.sleep.2014.03.025 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Substances