Mortality Rates Drop
Two factors underlie the marked increase in the numbers of people with MS. Most significantly, mortality rates for this population have dropped rapidly in recent years. A Canadian study found that mortality rates for MS have declined 30% since the 1990s, Wallin noted.
The decrease in mortality among individuals with MS parallels that seen in the general population over the last several decades, despite a decline in life expectancy seen in the last five years driven by increases in deaths from opioid overdose, suicide, influenza and pneumonia.
Still, “people are living longer across the board,” Wallin said. “You can see that in the mortality data; the average age of the MS population has gone up.”
The improvement in mortality rates can be “attributed some to new medicines, but we’re also treating infection better and increasing mobility,” Wallin added.
The aging of the MS population is particularly notable. The average age at diagnosis is 34 and, until recent decades, people with MS died 20 years or more younger than those without the disease. As a result, it has been seen as a neurological disease of relatively young adults. Now, however, MS reduces life expectancy by just six or seven years and median survival from birth extends into the middle of the eighth decade of life.
“It’s generally a good thing that people are living longer. Now our goal is to improve function and what people can do as they live longer,” Wallin said.
In addition to declining mortality, the number of people diagnosed has increased modestly in recent years, as diagnostic criteria have changed and neuroimaging has risen.
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