Association of adverse childhood experiences with adulthood multiple sclerosis: A systematic review of observational studies

• Published in: Brain and behavior Vol. 13; no. 6; pp. e3024 - n/a
• Main Authors: Rehan, Syeda Tayyaba, Khan, Zayeema, Shuja, Syed Hasan, Salman, Afia, Hussain, Hassan ul, Abbasi, Muhammad Saif, Razak, Sufyan, Cheema, Huzaifa Ahmad, Swed, Sarya, Surani, Salim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-06-2023; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: abuse; Adults; Adverse childhood experiences; Autoimmune diseases; autoimmune disorders; Child abuse & neglect; Citation management software; Criminal investigations; Disease; emotional; Multiple sclerosis; neurological disorder; Observational studies; physical; Quality of life; Review; Reviews; sexual; Stress; Systematic review; autoimmune disorders; abuse; physical; sexual; emotional; neurological disorder
• ISSN: 2162-3279; 2162-3279
• DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3024

Introduction
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are proposed to increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life. This systematic review aimed to explore the correlation between ACEs and MS development, age of onset, quality of life in MS patients and MS relapse rates.
Methods
We searched a total of six databases in June 2022 and retrieved the relevant studies. The population included adult (18+) individuals who either had been diagnosed or were at risk for developing MS and also had exposure to ACEs. Our primary outcomes include the risks of MS development, age of MS onset, and MS relapse rate in patients who were exposed to different types of ACEs.
Results
A total of 11 studies were included in our review. A study reported that among 300 women diagnosed with MS, 71 (24%) reported a history of childhood abuse; moreover, with further research, it was concluded that ACEs were associated with the development of MS. Abuse that occurred 2–3 times per week was associated with an 18.81‐fold increased risk of having MS when compared to the unexposed sample. The relapse rate of MS was found to be substantially greater in severe cases of ACEs compared to individuals who did not report any ACEs.
Conclusions
Results support a significant association between ACEs and the development of MS; individuals with a positive history of ACEs develop MS symptoms earlier. Moreover, the severity of ACEs is also linked with increased relapse rates of MS.
In this report, we aimed to explore the correlation between ACEs and MS to resolve the discrepancies in the existing studies. The present review is the first one to assess the association between ACEs and the development of MS in adulthood. Our results support a significant association between ACEs and the development of MS; individuals with a positive history of ACEs develop MS symptoms earlier. Moreover, the severity of ACEs is also linked with increased relapse rates of MS.