Is multiple sclerosis fatal? What about multiple sclerosis life expectancy ? It is absolutely normal to ask yourself these questions. You likely thought about them when you receive the diagnosis of MS. A disease is viewed as a threat to your health, and you life. The mind is designed this way, it’s wired to look at the worse case scenario, especially when under stress or receiving bad news.
Key Points
1.Is Multiple Sclerosis Fatal? What About Multiple Sclerosis Life Expectancy ?
2.Lifespan Vs Healthspan – Which One Is More Important ?
3.A Different Answer (From a Different Perspective) To the Question- Is Multiple Sclerosis Fatal?
1.Is Multiple Sclerosis Fatal? What About Multiple Sclerosis Life Expectancy ?
Some will ask the doctor, others will search “Dr. Google” to get the answer.
Let me tell you something. Doctors aren’t shy to tell you if a condition is fatal- if it is. Think heart attack, or anaphylactic shock. You get the warning about these conditions as being fatal right away, the moment you open the first medical text-book or talk with an ER physician.
On the other hand, MS is well-known as a “chronic “ disease, that can be silent for decades, with relapses and remissions. Next you may look at the top 10 causes of death …guess what? MS is not on the list [1] .How about the top 30 or 40 reasons of death worldwide? MS is not there either.
Suddenly, MS does’t look fatal anymore, does it ?
Now the second question will come in your mind what is multiple sclerosis life expectancy ? does MS shorten life, if so, by how much ?
Here is the answer regarding mortality and life expectancy related to MS from one of the best hospitals and research centers in US:
“Multiple sclerosis is not a fatal disease. Except in rare cases of severe disease, most people with multiple sclerosis have a normal or near-normal lifespan and usually die from the same conditions (i.e.heart disease or cancer) that affect the general population.” University of Maryland Medical Center [2]
So the answer to the question “Is multiple sclerosis fatal” is no. Now the second question multiple sclerosis life expectancy deserves a few details.
A number of studies looked at the life expectancy in relation to MS, and the results vary greatly from “ life expectancy is shortened by only a few months” [3] to “a reduction of life expectancy of 7–14 years” [4] . The results got even more complicated when scientists looked further into gender differences, the age of onset, geographical location, which parts of the brain are involved and other factors.
The overall idea is that the lifespan of everyone (with or without MS) has been increased for the last 100 years and is expected to further raise. We have better health care systems, thus more tools to detect a disease, better treatments and better ways to prevent complications [5]. The bottom line :
“Unless the disorder is very severe, life span is usually unaffected” says Merck Manual about the prognosis of MS [6].
2.Lifespan Vs Healthspan – Which One Is More Important ?
Increasing lifespan means adding years to your life.
Increasing healthspan means adding healthy years to your life not just being alive. This makes a huge difference in the quality of life, where lifespan is about quantity.
That’s why I look at supplements and lifestyle changes that improve markers of lifespan and healthspan such Nrf2 pathway, Sirtuins and PPAR activators, mTOR inhibitors and more. I also keep an eye on so-called senolytic drugs, a new class of drugs with a lot of potential [7].Exciting times ahead, more than ever, as there is a lot of research going on [8].
3.A Different Answer (From a Different Perspective) To the Question- Is Multiple Sclerosis Fatal?
The real question is : What isn’t fatal ? Being born and alive is fatal since dying is a part of the life since the dawn of humanity. During a very young age (when we stop growing), we slowly start to die (switching from predominant anabolic to catabolic reactions) – this is human physiology.
Getting in (or out) of your home, a car or a plane can be fatal, as there are always accidents that can lead to death. By the way: road injuries made it in the top 10 leading causes of death globally (2015).
Then we have the silent killers – for example diabetes, or high blood pressure. Both can go undetected for years, as there are no or very little symptoms. Prescriptions drugs are a common cause of death. Less often, but a herbal supplement can kill you, too.
Depression should get more attention, not only because it can lead to suicide, but also because depression kills emotions. This is what depression does-you are physically alive, yet dead inside, unable to enjoy life and what life has to offer.
Then we can die from reasons why don’t typically think of. Drinking too much water(in a short amount of time) aka water intoxication can kill you [9]. Have you heard about work related death ? Yes, working can kill, and it happens more than one would think [10]. Stress causes many health problems, and can literally kill you, too [11].
The bottom line: we all die sooner or later, from one cause or another.
Rather than focusing on how many years you can lose, how about finding out how to reverse the symptoms and add years (happy and healthy years) to your life ? You can control your health more than you think. It takes time, and it takes energy to recover, but it is possible. Diet, exercise, stress management and some supplements and prescription drugs can increase both longevity and lifespan [12],[13], and I will explore many of these strategies in this blog.
