Is There A Link Between MS and Epilepsy?

Recently, a member of our community approached us asking whether there was a known link between multiple sclerosis (MS) and epilepsy.  We always welcome questions from our followers, as we recognise the importance of consistently publishing information that is of direct interest and relevance to those who support us.  For us, requests of this nature demonstrate that people view MStranslate as a trusted and accurate resource for multiple sclerosis research information, something we take great pride in.

Is there a link between multiple sclerosis and the occurrence of seizures/epilepsy?

Population studies have shown that people with MS tend to have a greater risk of having seizures than that of the general population.  However, how much greater this risk is varies between published articles.  A large study using a Swedish registry, including 14,545 people with MS and 43,635 controls, was published at the end of 2017.  This investigation found that the incidence of epilepsy in people with MS was 3.5% compared to 1.4% in the controls.  Interestingly, they noticed that disease severity and duration appeared to also link to the incidence of epilepsy – that is, people who had progressive MS, higher EDSS or a longer disease duration all had a higher incidence of epilepsy (5.5%, 5.3% and 5.9% respectively).

What causes the link between epilepsy and multiple sclerosis?

There is still no concrete answer to this question, though some ideas have been proposed.  There has been recent studies that have suggested inflammation plays a major role in the development of epilepsy.  Considering inflammation also plays a role in multiple sclerosis, it makes sense that this may be one of the factors that links the two.  It is thought that the location of the lesions may also be important in determining whether a person with MS experiences seizures, though this is still speculation.  As inflammation and lesions are common in people with multiple sclerosis, yet the incidence of epilepsy is still relatively low, there must be other factors that determine whether these epileptic symptoms occur.

What does this mean?

The evidence is strong that people with MS are at a higher risk of experiencing epilepsy than the general population.  As this can have a significant impact on quality of life and disease outcomes, it is important that we begin to get a greater understanding of the reasons for this.  Improving our knowledge of the causes and links between MS and epilepsy could allow for a better prediction of who is at risk of having seizures and how to more effectively manage their health.