This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

[CureOrBust]

http://www.raysahelian.com/multiplesclerosis.html

Multiple Sclerosis Cause - Sun Exposure?
A 27-year-old white woman with a history of multiple sclerosis was found dead lying on a lounger, clad in a bathing suit. She had been sunbathing for 4 hours. Autopsy findings consisted of numerous variably sized demyelinated plaques involving the periventricular cerebral white matter and cerebellum. Elevation of core temperature in patients with multiple sclerosis leading to transient or permanent adverse neurologic signs and symptoms has been documented for several decades. This case illustrates that a modestly increased core body temperature, even from a usually innocuous activity such as sunbathing, may be fatal in patients with multiple sclerosis.

I did a check, and it seems to be a real case, single case. I found references to it all over the web.

[TwistedHelix]

Hello Cure,
This sounds really scary at first, although thankfully if it is the only recorded case I don't think we should worry unduly about it.
Do any of the other examples you mentioned give any more details about the cause of death? If not, there seems to be a gap in their reasoning – the article simply states that a woman was found dead sunbathing. She also had MS lesions. They provide no evidence that the two are linked, only an unfounded but very strong implication, (I was originally going to be an advertising copywriter, so I know all about creating an assumption without actually saying it!).
Having said that, we know that raising the core temperature of someone with MS can greatly exaggerate symptoms: perhaps she overheated so much that she couldn't get up to move into the shade and dehydrated because she couldn't drink. MS can also affect certain autonomic functions like heart rate, so I suppose something like that could be to blame.

A very concerning case, but not a cause for panic, I hope,

[jimmylegs]

yea i was coming up short on how they ruled out other causes of death than ms, because if i remember correctly my swiss cheese brain would have about the same description as hers, right now - actually it's probably worse.

but i haven't gotten at the full text yet, just the abstract. haven't had coffee this morning so i don't really care yet, will come back to it