How Long Can You Live with MS?

It’s well-established that multiple sclerosis, or MS, can cause problems with vision, balance, memory, and bowel and bladder control, among other challenges. But can the chronic condition—which occurs when the immune system attacks the fatty sheath surrounding nerve cells—impact how long you live?

The answer is far from simple, a Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute neurologist says. “MS in itself is not a fatal disease, so people don’t die from it,” says David B. Duncan, M.D., program director of the Comprehensive MS Center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. “But a person with MS faces risks for certain kinds of complications that can result in death, possibly at an earlier age.”

Research Insights About MS and Lifespan

How much can MS shorten a person’s lifespan? According to a study published by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), people with MS lived an average of 7.5 years less than those without MS. The study, which involved about 34,000 people, including 5,800 with MS, showed that people with the disease lived, on average, to be 75.9 years old. Meanwhile, those without MS lived to an average age of 83.4 years old.

But just two or three decades ago, the longevity gap between those with MS and those without it was far wider—perhaps by a difference of 15 years, Dr. Duncan says.

“Fortunately, with better therapies available and people getting diagnosed earlier, this is less of an issue,” he says. “But I have seen estimates that people with MS have a reduction in lifespan that’s between five and 10 years.”

Damaging Complications of MS

What factors determine how long someone can live with MS? Because the disease can gradually destroy nerve signals between the brain and the rest of the body, it can lead to increasing disability and immobility. Those issues can lead to devastating complications.

Complications of MS accounted for nearly half of the deaths of people diagnosed with the disease in the AAN study. They can include:

• Common infections
• Pneumonia
• Pressure ulcers
• Urinary tract infections

Living a Longer, High-quality Life With MS

Dr. Duncan says that additional factors can positively influence the lifespan of a person with MS. He offers these suggestions for people with MS to experience a longer quality of life:

• Maintain healthy lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise
• Quit or refrain from smoking 
• Manage stress levels and sleep health
• Disease-modifying therapies and effective treatment
• Work with a clinician to manage your MS who is knowledgeable about the disease
• Ask your doctor if you’re on the best therapies to treat your specific type of MS
• Seek comprehensive care that focuses not just on your MS, but your physical and emotional well-being
• See your health care provider regularly to discuss new or worsening symptoms, medication side effects or symptoms of a stroke, which can be similar to MS symptoms
• Sustain relationships with family, friends and coworkers, and be open about your diagnosis

Today, people with MS also have benefited from an array of medications known as disease-modifying therapies, which can slow disease progression or delay disability. “Today’s therapies are better, which has had a significant effect on improving patients’ lifespans,” Dr. Duncan says. “Clinicians are also more educated now about how to manage MS comprehensively.”

Dr. Duncan concludes: “If you have been diagnosed with MS, remember that you’re the same person you were before you were diagnosed. You should continue to live your life to the fullest by pursuing your career, hobbies and family planning—just know that you may need to make adjustments or modifications.”

Next Steps & Resources

• Meet our source: David B. Duncan, M.D.
• To make an appointment with a neurologist near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
• Learn about MS treatment and care at Hackensack Meridian Health.