While it is known that childhood trauma can alter the immune system and increase the risk of autoimmune disease, a new study just showed a link between negative and traumatic childhood experiences and the onset of multiple sclerosis adulthood.
Published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, the study involved nearly 78,000 pregnant women, who joined it between 1999 and 2008. Their health was monitored until 2018. Via questionnaires, they communicated information on the abuse they had may or may not have received before their 18th birthday. In total, 14,477 women reported experiencing violencewhile 63,520 said they had not.
Women with a history of violence were then more likely to be smokers (one of the multiple sclerosis risk factors), overweight or having depressive symptoms. And after taking these factors into account (adding education level and household income), women who were abused as children were more likely to have multiple sclerosis.
Over the study period, 300 women were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. A quarter of them said they had been abused as children. According to the study, the risk of developing multiple sclerosis was 65% higher in cases of sexual violence, 40% in cases of psychological violence and 31% in cases of physical violence.
Abuse causes a ‘pro-inflammatory state’
And if the study is only observational and cannot establish a true causal link, there could be plausible biological explanations for the associations. “Child abuse can disrupt brain and glandular signaling – the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis – causing a pro-inflammatory state“, explain the researchers.
“A better understanding of risk factors and the timing of risk exposures can open doors for prevention and provide greater insight into disease mechanisms.“, they finish.
Source :
- Association of adverse childhood experiences with the development of multiple sclerosis, Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry2022
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