Lectures: Prognosis
It is estimated that for all MS patients the chance of walking unaided in 15 years following disease onset is 50%.
1/2 of the patients will need assistance in walking or will be wheelchair bound; another 1/2 of the patients will be able to ambulate unaided.
Frequency of death by suicide was found to be 7.5 times higher among patients with MS compared to the general population. It was found that in suicidal patients, suicide rate did not correlate with disability.
The average longevity in the population of patients with MS is very difficult to estimate because it varies widely from patient to patient. Average life span of 25 to 35 years after the diagnosis of MS is made are often stated. Some of the most common causes of death in MS patients are secondary complications resulting from immobility, chronic urinary tract infections, compromised swallowing and breathing. Some of the complications in this category are chronic bed sores, urogenital sepsis, and aspiration or bacterial pneumonia.
| Factors that influence prognosis: |
|---|
| Favorable | | Unfavorable |
| Females |
|
Males |
| Low rate of relapses per year |
|
High rate of relapses per year |
| Complete recovery from the first attack |
|
Incomplete recovery from the first attack |
| Long interval between first and second attack |
|
Short interval between first and second attack |
| Symptoms predominantly from afferent systems (i.e.,. sensory symptoms) |
|
Symptoms predominantly from efferent systems (i.e.,. symptoms of motor tract involvement) |
| Younger age of onset |
|
Older age of onset |
| Low disability at 2 to 5 years from the disease onset |
|
Significant disability at 2 to 5 years from the onset
acute onset |
| Later cerebellar involvement |
|
Early cerebellar involvement |
| Involvement of only one CNS system at the time of onset |
|
Involvement of more than one CNS system at the time of onset |
|
|
