Survival and mortality in MS--60-year study of 1388 MS patients

[Virginia]

I remember rslater and I think it was the same person I was talking about. She did become too ill to come on the forum. Why they did not take her off Copaxone I do not know.

[SuzE-Q]

The Norwegian study also confirmed a number of other findings, including the observation that patients diagnosed at a younger age had a higher relative risk of dying than patients diagnosed at an older age.

Interesting how we've been led to believe that an earlier dx provided a more milder course, but that clearly is not born out by this research, unless you have a milder course but will die earlier for some other reason which doesn't make sense.

I wonder if the study supports then the overall impression that the DMDs may lower exacerbation rate, but improve no other qualitative factor including disability progression if we still end up with the same risk for vulnerabilities that eventually result in an earlier death, presumably from cumulative damage and increasing health limitations?

Thanks, agate!

[agate]

SuzE-Q, I'd heard differing versions of that theory about whether persons diagnosed early in life have a greater or lesser risk of dying young than people diagnosed later in life. It all depends on what study you're looking at, apparently.

For this Norwegian study they're seeing a trend toward a decline in the early mortality rate but as they point out, the DMDs haven't been around long enough yet for the difference to show up in this kind of study.

Virginia, I stayed in touch with rslater by email for quite a while after she left the forum but I don't recall when or if she was taken off Copaxone.