Key clinical point: Women exposed to emotional and sexual abuse during childhood are at a significantly higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), with the risk being highest among women exposed to multiple abuse categories.
Major finding: Women exposed to sexual (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR, 1.65; 95% CI 1.13-2.39) and emotional (aHR 1.40; 95% CI 1.03-1.90) abuse in childhood were at a significantly higher risk of subsequently developing MS, with the risk being highest when exposed to 2 (aHR 1.66; 95% CI 1.04-2.67) or 3 (aHR 1.93; 95% CI 1.02-3.67) abuse categories vs. no abuse.
Study details: Findings are from a prospective analysis of 77,997 women with (n = 14,477) and without (n = 63,520) exposure to any form of childhood abuse.
Disclosures: The study did not declare any specific source of funding. Some authors declared receiving research grants, consulting or speaker fees, or serving as a steering committee member or on advisory board for various sources.
Source: Eid K et al. Association of adverse childhood experiences with the development of multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2022 (Apr 4). Doi: 10. 1136/ jnnp- 2021-328700