Patients with multiple sclerosis, decreased life expectancy

The first large scale U.S. study provides more information regarding mortality rates from multiple sclerosis and patients` life expectancy with the disorder. The results of this study are published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. The lead author of the study is David Kaufman, ScD, of the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University. The study is the result of the collaboration between researchers at University of California San Francisco, the University of Alabama, Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, Care-Safe LLC, a consulting firm and the sponsor of the research, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and investigators at BU. “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”, said Kaufman. Although MS mortality is rare, the data confirms that US patients with MS present decreased life expectancy, compared to the general population.