To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: SBM MEETING: Stress Linked To New Brain Lesions In Multiple Sclerosis URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/67E66.htm Doctor's Guide March 26, 1998
STANFORD, CA -- March 26, 1998 -- People living with multiple sclerosis have long maintained there is a correlation between stress they experience and the progression of their disease. Now a study by researchers at University of California-San Francisco/Mount Zion Medical Center appears to confirm that stress is related to disease activity. Preliminary results of the study were presented today by David Mohr, Ph.D., UCSF assistant clinical professor of neurology, during the 1998 annual meeting of the Society of Behavioural Medicine (SBM) at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. Previous studies have suggested there is a relationship between stress levels and disease activity for multiple sclerosis patients, but the measures used were often unreliable. The UCSF study is the first both to follow patients and use clear indicators of disease activity. In the UCSF study, 48 patients were followed between 12 and 68 weeks. The patients rated the amount of psychological stress and stressful events that occurred during the month. In addition, the patients received gadolinium-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans once a month which show MS disease activity in the brain. Stressful life events were assessed using the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) and the Hassles Scale (HS), while depression and anxiety were measured using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). "What we found was that major stressful events as well as small daily hassles were related to the development of new brain lesions in the brain two months later," Mohr said. While brain lesions are not necessarily a sign of increased impairment, they do point to an increase in disease activity. "This is the clearest demonstration yet that what patients are experiencing is, in fact, occurring," Mohr said. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.