Stress may be a factor in the debilitating flare-ups of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to study.
The debilitating disorder, which affects the brain and spinal cord, can result in impaired vision, eye discomfort, incontinence, depression, trouble walking, and muscular spasms.
Relapsing and remitting MS describes the majority of MS individuals who have these symptoms, many of whom go months between episodes.
Researchers now believe they have established a direct connection between stress and recurrences of the issues.
More than 700 MS patients were evaluated by researchers at the University of Michigan for their symptom pattern. They discovered that people were substantially more likely to have frequent, severe flare-ups if they had encountered stressful events, such as poverty, abuse, or divorce.
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.