Study links childhood trauma to later development of multiple sclerosis. People who have suffered sexual violence are more likely to suffer from this disease in adulthood. In their article, published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatryresearchers are trying to explain this link.
Adverse childhood experiences are extreme types of stress known to increase the risk of psychiatric and physical disorders in adulthood, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and autoimmune diseases in general. On this last point, it is still unclear whether these adverse events can have a real impact on susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS).
As a reminder, MS involves a reversal of the immune system against its own body. Natural defenses mistakenly attack nerve cells here, destroying the protective layer of myelin that surrounds them. This process can then lead to chronic pain, muscle spasms, numbness, and even loss of vision.
A large study in Norway
As part of a study, a team of scientists tried to find out if exposure to emotional, sexual or physical abuse in childhood may or may not be associated with later disease development. To probe possible links between the disease and childhood trauma, researchers collected data from a Norwegian study of more than 78,000 pregnant women compiled from 1999 to 2018. They then cross-referenced this data with hospital records and a national register of MS diagnoses in Norway.
Result: according to the analysis, women exposed to emotional and sexual abuse before the age of 18 had an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis later in life. Of the 300 women in the cohort who developed the disease, nearly one in four had reported a history of childhood abuse. The link was most pronounced in women who had experienced sexual abuse (65% increased risk) and in those exposed to more than one type of trauma (66-93% increased risk).
How to explain this link?
Unraveling the responsibility of these traumas in the development of MS remains difficult, as there are many possible causes of the disease. A lack of vitamin D, too much pollution, ultra-processed dietsgenetics and common viral infections can indeed be triggers. Women with a history of trauma were also more often smokers or overweight. However, these are known risk factors for MS, which also complicates the picture.
However, one way to interpret these results could be that childhood trauma could exacerbate the risk of MS in people with underlying susceptibility to the disease. One or more traumas and the resulting stress could indeed further disrupt the immune system, plunging the body into a increased state of inflammation likely to promote disease outbreak.
If so, this research suggests that our younger years may be a critical window, regardless of the risk factors at play.
Note, however, that this is only an observational study that does not establish a direct causal link. In addition, the researchers had no information on the duration of the traumas reported or on the emotional support that the women concerned could benefit from from family or friends. Nonetheless, given the growing global burden of MS and the impacts of childhood trauma on adult life, the study certainly warrants further investigation into the links between the two.