Restless Legs Syndrome (Willis-Ekbom Disease) and Gastrointestinal Diseases

Over 50 diseases, disorders and conditions have been reported to be associated and/or contribute to restless legs syndrome (RLS) (recently renamed Willis-Ekbom disease). In many of these diseases, disorders and conditions is the potential to have systemic inflammation or immune disorders. In addition, in some of the idiopathic syndromes and diseases, there is an underlying gut dysfunction with subsequent dysbiosis and/or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Recently, idiopathic or primary RLS has been shown to be associated with SIBO and preliminary evidence suggests that treating the underlying gastrointestinal disorder can improve RLS severity. In this chapter, all gastrointestinal diseases and disorders that are associated with RLS are reviewed and potential mechanisms to explain the relationship are discussed. Potential food triggers and mechanisms of action for the food triggers are discussed with respect to these gastrointestinal diseases.