As with other neurological diseases, timely diagnosis has an invaluable effect on the life expectancy of patients with multiple sclerosis. In many cases the first symptoms of the disease may go unnoticed by the patient, who then does not seek medical help and therefore does not receive appropriate treatment. If treatment is started at the very beginning of the disease, it can significantly improve quality of life, in many cases halt the progression of the disease, prevent disability and prolong life.
Many factors affect the life expectancy of patients with multiple sclerosis:
- the course of the disease;
- timely diagnosis;
- whether the patient receives preventive treatment;
- the person's age at the onset of the disease;
- the presence of other conditions
- the development of MS complications (bedsores; urinary tract, lung and other infections).
At the beginning of the last century, people with multiple sclerosis lived at most 30 years even with a favourable course of the disease. Today their life expectancy has increased considerably.
Fortunately, the relapsing-remitting form of the disease has always had a more favourable prognosis. In about 70% of cases, short relapses in these patients alternate with long remissions, during which lost functions are restored.