Retracted Article: Relationship Between Multiple Sclerosis and Spiritual Distress

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the prototype inflammatory autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system and potentially the most common cause of neurological disability in young adults.[1] Epilepsy is more common among patients with MS than in the general population, and a diagnosis of MS increases the risk of epilepsy.[2] MS remains a difficult disease for which solutions seem attainable yet remain elusive.[1] The identified risk factors for MS are low vitamin D levels, a history of Epstein–Barr virus, smoking, and obesity, especially during childhood. On the other hand, complex interactions between genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors affect the risk for MS as well as the disease course.[3] Factors proposed as potential moderators and mediators between stress and MS include stressor properties, environmental factors, and patients' biological, social, and psychological characteristics.[4] Spiritual distress is defined as “a disruption in the life principle that pervades a person's entire being and that integrates and transcends one's biological and psychological nature.”[5] Herein, we discussed the relationship between MS and spiritual distress to attract attention to the possible role of spiritual distress in patients with MS.