Mental health issues show up five years before MS onset

A new study has found that mental health issues are almost twice as common in people who have MS in the five years leading up to the onset of the condition than in the healthy population.

It’s hoped that recognising these symptoms at an earlier stage could allow doctors to diagnose MS earlier. There is growing evidence that MS has a ‘prodromal’ or early stage which sees apparently unrelated symptoms crop up before onset, and this study adds weight to this theory.

Analysing data, researchers found that mental health issues were about twice as common in MS patients than in healthy controls – 28 per cent vs 14.9 per cent – in the five years leading to disease onset.

The use of healthcare resources for psychiatric symptoms also was higher in patients in the five years before clinical disease onset, and the differences tended to increased as the time to MS symptoms shortened.

Psychiatrist visits were 132 per cent higher in the MS patient group than in the controls in the five years before disease onset, increasing to 146 per cent in the year before onset. A similar pattern was discovered for general visits to the doctor, being hospitalised, and being prescribed medication.

“While we’re not suggesting that these conditions alone can be a predictor of MS, they may be one piece of the MS prodrome puzzle and a potential signal when combined with other factors,” said the researchers.