Stroke risk higher in people with MS, study finds

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a 2.5 times higher risk for stroke than the general population, a new study review has found.

Stroke is a blockage of blood flow in the brain that can cause lasting damage.

The study was called ‘Prevalence and epidemiology of stroke in patients with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis,’ and was published in the Journal of Neurology.

The researchers said further studies should take place to confirm the association they found, but also that “clinicians should recognize the elevated stroke risk and prioritize targeted stroke prevention strategies in the MS patient population to reduce stroke burden and improve patient outcomes.”

They also noted that the increased risk may be from having a sedentary lifestyle, heart problems or genetics.

In MS, the immune system attacks healthy parts of the brain and spinal cord, and evidence suggests blood vessels may become impaired, increasing the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions.

In this study, researchers combined data from across 13 studies which involved 146,381 people with MS. A total of 2.7% of participants had a stroke, which was a 2.55 times bigger risk than the general population.

They then separated the results for ischemic stroke, where a blood clot blocks blood supply, and haemorrhagic stroke, where a blood vessel bursts and blood leaks into the brain. The risk for an acute ischemic stroke and an intracerebral haemorrhage was 2.79 and 2.31 times greater in people with MS than the general population.