Multiple Sclerosis Shortens Lifespan by About 9 Years

Investigators in Sweden evaluated age and cause of death for 29,617 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosed between 1968 and 2012, matched 1:10 to those without MS. During the study period, 32% of the MS patients and 20% of the non-MS patients died.

Compared with their matched control counterparts, MS patients had higher overall mortality (median lifespan, approximately 76 years vs. 85 years). MS patients were at higher risk for death from respiratory disease (hazard ratio, 5.1) and infectious disease (HR, 4.1). Suicide was more likely in those with MS (HR, 1.9). Those diagnosed before the age of 18 (HR, 10.2), and those aged 18 to 40 (HR, 4.9), had particularly higher mortality than their control counterparts, compared with those di…