Consistent Link Seen Between Prodromal Symptoms, MS Risk

MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2025 (HealthDay News) — There is a consistent relationship between prodromal symptoms and the risk for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published online Sept. 24 in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.

Pooja Tank, from Queen Mary University of London, and colleagues conducted a retrospective, longitudinal, population-based nested case-control study using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum to examine the extent to which events prior to MS diagnosis differ according to social determinants of health. In MS cases and matched controls, associations between prediagnostic symptoms and MS risk were examined.

The study population included 15,029 patients with MS and 81,027 age-matched controls. The researchers found that MS cases were more likely than controls to have coded autonomic, cognitive, neurological, pain, and psychiatric symptoms in the five years preceding diagnosis (odds ratios, 1.87, 2.57, 7.91, 2.21, and 1.75, respectively). Across gender, ethnicity, deprivation, and location strata, the direction of effect was consistent, with males and those living in urban areas having overrepresentation of neurological symptoms. There were no statistically significant interactions between factors.

“This is the strongest evidence yet that MS gives us clues years before diagnosis. If doctors know what to look for, they can potentially spot the disease earlier and act to start treatment before significant damage is done,” lead author Ruth Dobson, also from Queen Mary University of London, said in a statement.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text