Physical Trauma, Psychological Stress, and Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Abstract It seems clear that physical trauma and/or psychological stress can either cause or exacerbate certain medical conditions. For example, trauma is known to precipitate seizures, headache, or focal neurological deficits in previously asymptomatic individuals. Similarly, psychological stress seems to be a factor in the development of some peptic ulcers, anxiety disorders, and other psychiatric states. In addition, trauma and/or stress have been suspected to have links to many other medical disorders. It is perhaps not surprising, therefore, that both physical trauma and psychological stress have been posited to be causal factors in either the onset or exacerbation of multiple sclerosis (MS). Indeed, this notion has been a conspicuous part of the lore of this illness dating back to its earliest clinical descriptions.