Childhood adversity tied to greater MS risk; quality of evidence low
Researchers analyzed data from over 8,700 people with difficult upbringing
People who experience adversity during childhood, such as abuse or neglect, may be at increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, but available data that supports this association is generally low quality, a study reports.
“Drawing concrete treatment recommendations is premature, given the low certainty of the findings,” wrote the researchers wrote, who emphasized a need for more studies to explore this potential association. The study, “Childhood adversity as a risk factor for autoimmune disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis with implications for psychiatry,” was published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
In MS, the immune system launches an inflammatory attack that damages healthy tissue in the brain and spinal cord. MS is one of many known autoimmune disorders where the immune system attacks healthy tissue.
The causes of MS and other autoimmune diseases aren’t very well understood, but several risk factors have been identified. Some studies have investigated whether the risk of autoimmune disease may be increased in people who’ve experienced childhood adversity, a broad term that encompasses traumatic events such as physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect, bullying, racism, or the loss of a parent.
A small increase in risk
Scientists in the U.K. conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the link between childhood adversity and the risk of autoimmune disease. In a meta-analysis, researchers pool data from multiple studies and analyze the data collectively. Because these studies have larger sample sizes than individual ones, they generally have more statistical power to detect meaningful associations.
Data from 27 studies covering more than 8,700 people who’d experienced childhood adversity and more than 3 million people who hadn’t were analyzed. Statistical analyses were used to compare the risk of autoimmune diseases in both groups.
The results suggested there was a fairly small, but statistically significant increase in risk among people who’d experienced childhood adversity for autoimmune diseases, including MS, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Some diseases, such as lupus, didn’t show a statistically significant association, however.
“A small significant main effect was found, indicating that adults with [autoimmune diseases] are more likely to have experienced childhood adversity than … adults without [autoimmune diseases],” wrote the researchers, who cautioned that the available evidence was generally low quality.
Most of the studies showed a high risk of potential bias and weren’t able to fully disentangle the effects of childhood adversity from other factors that might also influence autoimmune disease risk, such as socioeconomic status and lifestyle choices. The studies mainly came from Western Europe and the U.S., making global generalizations difficult.
“Importantly, the body of evidence was rated as being of very low certainty, due to its high risk of bias, the presence of publication bias, and the high inconsistency across studies,” the scientists wrote. “Due to the very low certainty of the evidence … these results should be treated with caution and higher quality evidence is needed.”
The scientists said studies should explore this association and its potential implications for how autoimmune diseases are managed, and noted that research into possible biological mechanisms for how childhood adversity might influence the immune system was also needed.
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