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It has long been known that stress increases the risk
of MS and of developing relapses. This new population-based case-control study
from the Karolinska Institute examined many thousands of people with MS and
compared their patterns of shift work while young with people without MS. They
found a 30-60% increased risk of MS for those who undertook shift work at a
young age; for those doing significant amounts of shift work before age 20,
there was roughly a doubling of risk. The authors hypothesised that this may be
due to sleep disruption causing changes in melatonin secretion and a shift
towards a pro-inflammatory state. While we can't avoid stress in our lives, it
is useful to be aware of this increased risk when our relatives choose their
early employment.