Women with multiple sclerosis were more likely to experience an attack if they had been exposed to a stressful event over the previous week or so.
It's long been suspected that stress may play a role in exacerbating symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS). The disease is characterised by deterioration in the coating of nerve fibres and this leads to many different symptoms, like paralysis, visual problems and loss of bladder control. MS is a mysterious disease, with attacks of symptoms occurring 'out of the blue' with periods of remission.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh studied 23 women with MS and had them complete weekly questionnaires about life events and MS symptoms. Over the year, the women experienced an average of 2.6 flare-ups, lasting an average of 29 days. On analysis, 85 per cent of the flare-ups were linked with a stressful event over the previous 14 days. The study suggests that teaching coping skills to reduce the impact of stress might help people with MS avoid flare-ups.