Willis-Ekbom syndrome is also known as?

Appeared in: AIIMS Bhopal NO - 2018 (Shift-1st)

Explanation

Willis-Ekbom disease (WED) is the formal medical name for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), as confirmed by nursing and medical literature.
This condition is a neurological sleep and movement disorder, not a psychiatric or cultural syndrome.
The defining characteristic is an overwhelming, irresistible urge to move the legs, often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations like creeping, crawling, or tingling.
Symptoms typically worsen during periods of rest or inactivity, such as sitting or lying down, and are more prominent in the evening and at night, leading to sleep disruption.

Option A: Kleine-Levin syndrome is a disorder of excessive sleep (hypersomnia), not leg restlessness.
Option C: Dhat syndrome is a culture-bound syndrome related to anxiety about semen loss, primarily seen in South Asian cultures. It has no connection to leg movement.
Option D: Ganser syndrome is a rare dissociative disorder characterized by giving approximate or nonsensical answers. It does not involve motor symptoms in the legs.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Medical Eponyms and Neurological Disorders helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Nurses play a key role in assessing for RLS by asking patients about sleep quality, leg discomfort, and any urge to move their legs, especially at night.
Patient education is crucial and includes non-pharmacologic measures such as eliminating caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol; massaging the legs; applying heat or cold; and performing gentle stretches.
What if? If a patient taking an SSRI antidepressant reports new-onset leg restlessness at night, the nurse should recognize this as a potential medication side effect. Some antidepressants can exacerbate RLS, and this finding should be reported to the healthcare provider for evaluation.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core term in the question stem, which is 'Willis-Ekbom syndrome'.
Recognize that the lead-in 'is also known as' asks for a synonym or a more common name for this medical eponym.
Systematically evaluate each option to see which one is the recognized alternative name for Willis-Ekbom syndrome.
Recall or deduce that Willis-Ekbom syndrome is characterized by an urge to move the legs. This directly links it to 'Restless Legs syndrome'.
This question tests factual recall of medical terminology. If unsure, try to eliminate options that are clearly unrelated (e.g., psychiatric or cultural syndromes vs. a neurological movement disorder).

Concept Tested & Keywords

QvhsB1bw5fK2yOggsxsnEZ

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Taylor p. 219-221

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1601-1603

E6 Pharmacology Katzung 16e p. 791-793

Practise the full AIIMS Bhopal NO - 2018 (Shift-1st)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.