• Multiple Sclerosis - Causes
• Highlights
• Introduction
• Causes
• Risk Factors
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis

Prognosis

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 life span and usually die from the same conditions (heart disease, cancer) that affect the general population. Still, MS symptoms can negatively affect quality of life. Suicide rates among patients with MS are higher than average.

The majority of patients with MS do not become severely disabled. Twenty years after diagnosis, about two-thirds...