“MS itself is not usually fatal. However, the disorder may increase the risk of life-threatening complications, such as severe infections or swallowing difficulties, that can set the stage for pneumonia.

On average, the lifespan for people with MS is about five to 10 years shorter than for the general population, but this gap is getting shorter as treatments and care continue to improve.\

Most people with MS experience two stages of disease. The first stage is relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), which is characterized by episodes of new or worsening symptoms (relapses), interspersed with periods of partial or complete recovery from symptoms (remission).

Most RRMS patients will gradually enter a progressive phase of disease, called secondary progressive MS (SPMS), in which symptoms continually worsen over time, even when no relapses occur.

The time it takes to progress from RRMS to SPMS often varies substantially from person to person and potentially can be influenced by the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). If left untreated, about half of RRMS patients would progress to SPMS within 10 years of disease onset. But when most patients received treatment, only about 10% converted to SPMS, and over a median of 32 years.”

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS news today (MS prognosis and life expectancy)