Questions behind the survey
One expert who reviewed the finding wasn’t convinced that the lower MS risk that researchers identified was only due to sun exposure.
“The study did control for a variety of variables, such as physical activity, and exercise is beneficial, so is it really sun exposure or physical activity that is protective?” Dr. Asaff Harel, director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City asks.
Harel said individuals often have MS symptoms prior to diagnosis.
“It is possible that those symptoms could keep someone from going outside, skewing the results,” he adds. “Such a chicken-or-the-egg scenario is always a possibility with such studies.”
Sara Bernstein, manager of research information at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, said that sunlight and vitamin D have previously been linked to MS risk.
“Evidence suggests that higher lifetime exposure to sunlight and higher blood levels of vitamin D are associated with a lower risk of developing MS,” she says. “MS is more common at latitudes that are farther from the equator and less common in areas closer to the equator — a factor that also suggests the influence of sunlight exposure on MS.”
More research is needed to understand the relationship between vitamin D and the development of childhood MS, Bernstein says.
Multiple Sclerosis: What It Is & What It Is Not
When to see a doctor
Finding MS early is key. Therefore if your child tells you they are experiencing any neurological symptoms, it is very important to tell your healthcare provider immediately. According to the Cleaveland Clinic, the symptoms may be physically sensory (involving changes in feeling) or motor (changes in movement) or may involve other factors, such as vision, emotions, thinking, or walking. Your child will likely experience only some of the symptoms, not all of them.
These are the most common symptoms you should look out for:
- Numbness, tingling, the “pins and needles” feeling, or pain.
- Dizziness, difficulty walking or keeping your balance.
- Fatigue, weakness, tremor (shaking).
- Problems with concentration or memory, depression.
- Problems with vision, including blurry vision, trouble seeing, or double vision.
- Sensitivity to heat.