Multiple sclerosis patients have a higher rate of epilepsy than the general population.

Is it true that multiple sclerosis patients have a higher rate of epilepsy than the general population?

Unclear. Three sources point the same way: a Dutch primary-care case-control study lists epilepsy among chronic diseases with higher lifetime prevalence in MS patients, a seizure-epidemiology review reports higher age-adjusted seizure incidence in MS than in one local general population, and a single-center German cohort found epilepsy more often than in the general population. None provides a general-population comparison broad enough to settle the claim outright.

Verdict: PARTIAL LEAN · 3 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Lemmens, C. M. C., Vanhommerig, J. W., Knottnerus, B. J., Mostert, J., Killestein, J., & Jong, B. D. d. (2026). Comorbidities and infectious episodes in multiple sclerosis patients within general practices in the Netherlands.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2026.107927

Seizures in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology and Management - PMC Lock. (n.d.). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. https://doi.org/10.2165/11310900-000000000-00000

Frontiers | Patients With Epileptic Seizures and Multiple Sclerosis in a Multiple Sclerosis Center in Southern Germany Between 2003–2015. (n.d.). frontiersin.org. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2019.00613/full