The good news is that MS does not cause death. However, the bad news is that because of the other health problems and risks associated with MS, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society found that patients with MS live on average 6 or 7 years less than the general population. But that is only a statistic and does not apply to everyone. Therefore, the other piece of good news is that if you are proactive in managing all of your health issues, you may lead a full and meaningful life.
The symptoms caused and exacerbated by the progression of MS include pneumonia, infections, heart disease, and falls, which can all lead to death. All of these can be related to reduced mobility to some degree.
The ways to protect yourself against a shortened lifespan include monitoring your MS progression and receiving the most appropriate therapeutics as well as staying active.
Some risk factors cannot be modified, such as sex (females have a better prognosis than males), age of diagnosis with MS (a younger age at onset is associated with better outcomes), degree of recovery from the first attack and frequency of subsequent relapses, and race and ethnicity (black people have a greater risk of death from MS at an earlier age).
Further, there are different categories of MS which carry with them different prognoses. Patients with Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS) tend to live longer than those with a more progressive disease, such as Primary Progressive MS (PPMS) and Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS). PPMS and SPMS accrue greater ambulatory problems because they do not have the periods of improvement that RRMS patients do.
Other non-MS related disorders which occur at the same time (co-morbid) can also affect the ultimate outcome. A study in the journal Patient Related Outcome Measures concluded that the most common comorbid conditions for MS patients include anxiety, depression, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, gastrointestinal disease.and chronic lung disease.
Become empowered to protect your own health by working with your doctor to have the most effective MS treatment appropriate for you. BeCareLink can help by monitoring your neurologic symptoms and your mental health on the BeCare MS app so you and your medical team knows when it is time to make a change. Work with your primary care doctor to protect your general health. Stay active. Eat healthy. Stop smoking. Stay connected-protect your emotional health with support groups and by staying connected to family and friends. Join the BeCare MS Community to connect with others for support and helpful tips.