Childhood Trauma Linked to Increased Risk of MS
Childhood trauma, including sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, may be linked to an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in later life among women. The link was strongest for those who suffered sexual abuse and those who reported more than one type of abuse, according to the findings, published online April 4 in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.The findings from this study fit with what we know about trauma and MS, says Dina Jacobs, MD, the clinical director of the multiple sclerosis and related disorders center at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, who was not involved in the research.“The release of stress hormones chronically may impact the immune system, and it is certainly plausible that chronic stress may have an impact here,” says Dr. Jacobs, adding that although the…