Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms and Environment

Because the cause of multiple sclerosis is not fully understood, you may wonder whether some aspect of your environment or lifestyle is affecting the severity of your MS symptoms. Researchers believe that, in some people, MS may result from a combination of both their genetic risk and factors in their environment or lifestyle. Science has yet to pin this down, however, and the exact way that the disease develops is still not known.rnTo date, researchers have found strong correlations between MS symptoms and certain factors, such as smoking, sun exposure, and stress.rnSmoking Worsens MS Symptoms:rnPeople who smoke have a 40 to 80 percent increased risk of multiple sclerosis compared with their nonsmoking peers. A study revealed that people with and without MS showed that smoking may not only increase the risk of developing MS, but in those who already have MS, smoking may speed progression of the disease and worsen symptoms.rnSunlight May Help Prevent MS Symptoms:rnRecent research suggests that children who develop multiple sclerosis and begin to experience MS symptoms typically have lower levels of vitamin D than their peers. Vitamin D plays an important role in a variety of body processes, but it is only manufactured in our bodies in response to sunlight.rnEpidemiological studies revealed that there's a higher prevalence of MS the farther away you live from the equator, and more recently found that vitamin D does regulate the immune system.rnStress Triggers MS Symptoms:rnStressful events affect people in different ways. Common stressors include:rnDeath or illness of a relative, friend, or petrnRelationship problemsrnMoney worriesrnJob difficultiesrnCar or home concernsrnEnvironmental Toxins and MS SymptomsrnAlthough it is natural to wonder whether chemicals in the environment play a key role in the development of multiple sclerosis, there is no conclusive research that ties MS to chemical exposures. Questions about the impact of pollution or toxins come up whenever people perceive a "cluster" of MS diagnoses in one geographic area, implying that some element found in that location might be triggering the development of MS. Researchers have theorized that lead, mercury, and air pollution might contribute to the risk of MS, but they have not established a clear link.