Sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease: REM sleep behaviour disorder and restless legs syndrome

Introduction. It is well known that patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative diseases very commonly present sleep disorders, and that they possibly share common pathophysiological mechanisms with motor signs. Development. In the case of REM sleep behaviour disorder, a number of studies have shown that it may appear more than ten years before the motor signs. Although there is no evidence to prove that patients with restless legs syndrome have an increased risk of suffering from PD, the high prevalence of this symptom in PD and the good response to dopamine agonists suggest the existence of a relation between the two conditions. Conclusions. The impact that these conditions have on patients' quality of life makes it very important to know how to diagnose and treat them.