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Luigi Ferini-Strambi

Restless leg syndrome: A complex night-day disorder

Luigi Ferini-Strambi, MD, PhD (Italy)
Full Professor of Neurology
Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Italy

Keynote Summary: Restless legs syndrome (RLS)/Willis-Ekbom disease is one of the most common neurological disorders, with severe sleep disturbance and daily functioning impairment. RLS may be primary (idiopathic) or secondary to a variety of systemic disorders. The pathogenesis of RLS remains not fully clear, even if our understanding of the disease has improved by genetic and neuroimaging studies and by the development of animal models. A clinical approach to RLS management includes the identification of reversible contributing factors and the use of nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatment. The long-term effects of specific drugs for RLS suggest some changes in the optimal care management. The great socioeconomic impact of RLS related to the inadequate diagnosis and treatment has been recently reported.

Biosketch: Luigi Ferini-Strambi earned his degree in medicine at the State University in Milan, Italy and he completed a fellowship in the Sleep Disorders Center at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, USA in 1983. He earned his Postgraduate Degree in Neurology at the State University in Milan, Italy in 1984.

He is currently Full Professor of Neurology at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy, the Chair of the Dept. of Neurology, and Director of Sleep Disorders Center at Scientific Institute H San Raffaele-Turro, Milan, Italy.

He is the Field Editor of Sleep Medicine, Associate Editor of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Member of the Editorial Board of European Journal of Neurology and Behavioral Neurology.

He is a frequent reviewer for Neurology, Sleep, Journal of Sleep Research, Journal of Neurology, Brain, and Lancet Neurology.

He is Past-President of the Italian Association of Sleep Medicine and Founder Member of the International RBD Study Group.

He was the President of the World Association of Sleep Medicine from 2015 to 2017.

He has published more than 370 full papers in international journals, mainly in the field of sleep-related movement disorders and REM sleep behavior disorder.