This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

The very first paper I read after my dx (July 04) by a Prof from Harvard (if I can find the link again I'll post an edit here) suggested a reduced life expectancy of 6 years because of side effects of the condition, including depression induced suicide which would seriously skew that statistic.

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John
I am what I am

Dear all,

On the issue of life-expectancy - I do recall reading that it can be near normal for women but that men don't fair so well. The average life expectancy in the UK for men is 78 and for women is 80. The Queen is sending out more 100th birthday cards than ever before. It would be interesting to know if many ms sufferers make it to that sort of age. My ms nurse told me that she has a patient 'who is 75'.


On the issue of suicide - I think this could be a worthwhile subject for a separate forum. Not in terms of how to do it, but to share thoughts / views on how to cope etc. To be hitt by a degenerative disease at an age when most are thinking of careers / marriage / starting families etc is very difficult to deal with. Some seem to cope better than others so it might be good to perhaps get the views of those who do cope better and how they do this.

Bromley

John,



I had heard 3-4 years but 6 years, including suicide stats, certainly could be quite accurate. It's too bad there wasn't a "quality of life" measurement for MS patients because that would really indicate the many struggles MS patients go through every day.

Harry

Iheard that also, about the 6 years, and I have heard of people that have ms living well into their 80's. I am one of those that think that when it's your time to go, then you go. I just hope I don't suffer a whole lot before then. I also agree with Bromley, a coping forum would be great!
Dena

I spoke about the case of that girl with my neuro and her immediate reaction was to wonder if it was indeed MS that the girl had and not something potentially similar and related, such as Devic's syndrome:

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/devics/devics.htm

She said Devic's is very aggressive, focuses its attack on the spinal cord and, I believe she said, the lower areas of the brain and can often be fatal.

I personally haven't looked further into it since talking with my doc. Does anyone know definitively what that girl's diagnosis was?

I'm afraid it was MS: We have a full copy of the paper, which was sent by Dr. Prineas when my husband, also a pathologist, showed much interest.