Life Expectancy for Patients with MS Drops by Six Years

It turns out that multiple sclerosis (MS) may cause patients to have a decreased life expectancy. Researchers have conducted the first large scale study in the U.S. on the mortality of patients with MS and have found that the median lifespan was six years less.

MS is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. Over time, it progresses into a degenerative phase in the majority of affected patients. Currently, there are about 250,000 to 350,000 patients with MS in the U.S., which gives an overall prevalence of roughly one in 1,000.

In order to learn a bit more about the life expectancy of people with MS, the researchers used health insurance claims data to identify a series of patients with MS and a comparison group of individuals from the same health plans who did not have MS. Data on deaths was obtained from government databases of death records.

So what did the researchers find? It turned out that annual mortality rates were 889/100,000 for those with MS and 446/100,000 for those without MS. The median lifespan was six years less among thos with MS, as well.

"Our findings are consistent with what has been reported elsewhere in the world," said David Kaufman, one of the researchers, in a news release. "While the results apply only to the commercially insured U.S. population, that group represents more than two-thirds of individuals under age 65, and this is the first time an MS survival disadvantage has been shown in this country."

Although early mortality due to MS is relatively rare, the findings do reveal that there is a decrease in life expectancy. The findings show that it's more important than ever to find effective treatments for MS.

The findings are published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.