Nocturnal Restless Arms and Face Improved by Dopamine Agonist: Is It a Variant of Restless Legs Syndrome?

Abstract

The symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS) usually involve legs and can extend to other body parts. However, isolated body parts other than leg have rarely been involved. A 32-year-old woman had abnormal sensations of both forearms and face during night, which caused a difficulty falling in sleep. The symptoms were relieved by shaking and rubbing. She experienced a clear benefit from pramipexole, but a recurrence of restlessness was followed in both arms subsequent to pramipexole withdrawal. Finally, she had been prescribed a dose of 0.375 mg, which was well tolerated for 6 years. We report a case of nocturnal restless arms and face without leg involvement, which was like RLS in terms of clinical criteria except lesion site.