Por Redaccion 
In Andalusia, 30,644 people, of which 73% are women (22,433) and 27% are men (8,211), suffer from Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), a chronic neurological disorder, often underdiagnosed, causing severe sleep disturbances, functional impairment, and significant impact on the quality of life of patients. Although its prevalence is higher between the ages of 45 and 65, 294 minors in all of Andalusia suffer from it, 19 of whom are under 4 years old.
By provinces, in Almería, 2,513 people suffer from RLS (1,841 women and 712 men); in Cádiz, 4,175 (3,091 women and 1,084 men); in Córdoba, 3,040 (2,313 women and 727 men); in Granada, 4,257 (3,098 women and 1,159 men); in Huelva, 1,885 (1,407 women and 478 men); in Jaén, 2,211 (1,656 women and 555 men); in Málaga, 5,011 (3,522 women and 1,489 men); and in Seville, 7,512 (5,505 women and 2,007 men).
Meeting with a representation of the Spanish Restless Legs Syndrome Association (AESPI).
However, despite its high prevalence, it remains a scarcely recognized disease in the healthcare, social, and labor fields. For this reason, the Secretary General of Healthcare Planning and Consumption of the Ministry of Health and Consumption, Ismael Muñoz, has considered the possibility of preparing a pilot document that explains the collaborative work between the neurophysiology staff of the hospital area and those of Primary Care to train them in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease, after meeting with a representation of the Spanish Restless Legs Syndrome Association (AESPI), led by Juan José Méndez.
Méndez has specifically emphasized to the Ministry the importance of training Primary Care professionals by neurophysiology experts, with the aim of reducing diagnostic times, as well as the importance of raising awareness of the disease through institutional collaboration lines, integrating RLS or Willis-Ekbom Disease (WED) into the administration or involving patients with this condition in expert panels as advisors.