Flare-ups of multiple sclerosis are caused by stress, research suggests
Multiple sclerosis flare-ups are triggered by stress, research suggests
- A University of Michigan study of 700 MS patients found that stress causes symptoms
- More than 130,000 people in the UK suffer from the incurable disease
Debilitating flare-ups of multiple sclerosis (MS) may be triggered by stress, research suggests.
The incurable condition, which affects the brain and spinal cord, can cause difficulty walking and muscle spasms, as well as blurred vision, eye pain, incontinence and depression.
For the majority of MS patients, these symptoms come and go — known as relapsing and remitting MS — and many go months without experiencing them.
Now researchers think they’ve found a clear link between stress and flare-ups of the problems.
Scientists at the University of Michigan studied the pattern of symptoms in more than 700 MS patients. They found that those who experienced stressful events — such as poverty, abuse and divorce — were significantly more likely to experience frequent, severe flare-ups.
Debilitating multiple sclerosis (MS) flare-ups may be triggered by stress, study suggests (file photo)
This also meant that these patients were more likely to be permanently disabled by the disease.
The study, published last week in the US medical journal Brain And Behavior, also found that the Covid pandemic led to a significant increase in MS flare-ups.
More than 130,000 people in the UK suffer from MS, an incurable disease that develops when the immune system goes haywire and attacks the myelin sheath – a protective covering on the nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
Experts say that for the 85 percent of MS patients who suffer from relapsing and remitting MS, the new findings showing that stress can trigger the return of symptoms may help protect against flare-ups.
“References to resources, such as mental health support or substance use support, can help reduce the impact of stress and improve well-being,” said Dr. Tiffany Braley, an MS expert at the University of Michigan in the US and co-author of the study. of the study.
But experts say it’s still unclear why stress contributes to worsening MS symptoms.
“This study does not examine the mechanism in the body that causes stress to lead to MS relapses,” said Dr Catherine Godbold, research communications manager at the MS Society charity.
“It is possible that stress itself is not the real cause, but that it leads to other harmful behaviors, such as smoking or poor sleep, which increase the risk of relapse.”
University of Michigan researchers say the next step of the study will be to examine how these other factors influence MS flare-ups.