Life expectancy and MS

MS is not considered a terminal illness and it’s very rare for someone to die directly because of MS. But MS is a lifelong condition and if someone is severely affected, the risk of dying from a complication related to MS (like an infection) is greater.

Jump to:

• How long can you live with MS?
• MS life expectancy in females and males
• What can help increase life expectancy?
• Disease modifying therapies (DMTs) and life expectancy
• Quality of life with MS

How long can you live with MS?

A person with MS can live as long – or longer – than anyone else. When we talk about life expectancy, it’s based on averages across large numbers of people.

MS can increase some of the health risks everyone faces. For example, someone who’s less mobile might have a higher risk of heart disease. And research can show the chances of life expectancy being affected. But they can’t tell any of us what age we’ll live to.

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How much does MS reduce life expectancy?

Several studies have shown that MS reduced life expectancy – on average - by about 7 years. But more recent research has suggested it might be as low as 2 years. The difference between life expectancy for people with MS and other people has got smaller over the years. And could get even smaller in the years to come.

That improvement is probably because of better healthcare being available to more people.

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MS life expectancy in females and males

In the UK, life expectancy is generally about 4 years higher for women than it is for men. That’s about the same difference between women and men with MS.

The body’s biology can affect how people experience MS. For example, changes in hormones might affect symptoms, or reduce relapses during pregnancy. But there’s no obvious link between biological sex and life expectancy for people with MS in particular.

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What can help increase life expectancy?

Several things might have a positive influence on life expectancy. Added together, they could make a difference over the years:

• staying active
• a balanced diet
• avoiding smoking
• managing other health conditions, like heart disease, diabetes or depression

Sometimes MS makes it harder to do some of these things. So it can help to get support and information from us or from health care professionals.

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Disease modifying therapies (DMTs) and life expectancy

There’s no clear evidence that disease modifying therapies for MS (DMTs) improve someone’s life expectancy. But DMTs can reduce the number of relapses and how serious they are. They can also slow down the damage caused by MS that builds up over time.

Most DMTs are available for people with relapsing remitting MS, but some people with progressive MS can also take a DMT.

Some long-term research has found that people who took DMTs improved their life expectancy. But the scientists who did these studies say they couldn’t rule out other factors which might make a difference, like people’s lifestyles and whether they smoked.

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Quality of life with MS

Living well with MS is about more than just life expectancy. It’s about the quality of life too. We all have life goals or things we like to do. And even if these shift and adjust, there are treatments and therapies that can help you stay independent and boost your wellbeing:

• Get support to manage your MS symptoms and the effects of living with MS. Whether that’s physical or mental health, lasting symptoms or relapses. And it’s important not to assume everything is MS. Finding the cause could help find the best treatment.
• See if there’s a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) available for you
• Find what works for your wellbeing. Over time you’ll discover things that feel right for you. That could be finding ways so stay active, eat well, and keep up social networks. These might help with MS symptoms as well as general health. Some people use complementary therapies too.

Your GP or MS team can help you find suitable treatments and therapies. And you can contact our MS Helpline for support and information.

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