PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study finds decreased life expectancy for multiple sclerosis patients

2014-01-21
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Gina DiGravio
gina.digravio@bmc.org
617-638-8480
Boston University Medical Center
Study finds decreased life expectancy for multiple sclerosis patients (Boston) – The first large scale study in the U.S. on the mortality of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been published and provides new information about the life expectancy of people with the disease. The study appears in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.

David Kaufman, ScD, of the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, is the lead author. The work is the result of a collaboration between the investigators at BU and their colleagues at University of California San Francisco, the University of Alabama, Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, Care-Safe LLC, a consulting firm and the sponsor of the research, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals.

MS is a chronic disease of the central nervous system which progresses into a degenerative phase in the majority of affected patients. There are 250,000-350,000 patients with MS in the United States, giving an overall prevalence of roughly one in 1,000.

The investigators used health insurance claims data to identify a series of patients with MS and a comparison group of individuals from the same health plans who did not have MS. A total of 30,402 MS patients and 89,818 non-MS subjects who were in the OptumInsight Research (OIR) database from 1996-2009 were included in the study. Data on deaths was obtained from government databases of death records. Annual mortality rates were 899/100,000 in MS patients and 446/100,000 in comparators. The median lifespan was 6 years less among the MS patients than among the non-MS group. "Our findings are consistent with what has been reported elsewhere in the world," explained Kaufman. "While the results apply only to the commercially insured U.S. population, that group represents more than two-thirds of individuals under age 65, and this is the first time an MS survival disadvantage has been shown in this country."

While early mortality due to MS is relatively rare, the new data confirm that compared to the general population, MS patients in the US do experience a decrease in life expectancy. Most of the information on survival patterns in MS has come from Europe, where populations, risk factors and medical practice may be different than in the U.S. With the large number of MS patients in the U.S., the lack of data represented a significant knowledge gap. Future studies with longer follow-up periods can provide important information about how the introduction of anti-MS drugs in the 1990s has impacted survival in MS.

###

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Arctic warmth unprecedented in 44,000 years, reveals ancient moss

2014-01-21
Arctic warmth unprecedented in 44,000 years, reveals ancient moss When the temperature rises on Baffin Island, in the Canadian high Arctic, ancient Polytrichum mosses, trapped beneath the ice for thousands of years, are exposed. Using radiocarbon dating, new research in Geophysical ...

Are anti-poaching efforts repeating the mistakes of the 'war on drugs'?

2014-01-21
Are anti-poaching efforts repeating the mistakes of the 'war on drugs'? Illegal poaching, fuelled by the demand for alternative 'medicines' and luxury goods in Asian markets, continues unabated. In response unprecedented levels of funding are being invested in enforcement, ...

Anti-swine flu vaccination linked to increased risk of narcolepsy in young adults

2014-01-21
Anti-swine flu vaccination linked to increased risk of narcolepsy in young adults Pandemrix is an influenza vaccination, created in 2009 to combat H1N1, known as Swine Flu. Now, a team of Swedish clinicians testing the vaccine for links to immune-related or neurological diseases ...

Older brains slow due to greater experience, rather than cognitive decline

2014-01-21
Older brains slow due to greater experience, rather than cognitive decline What happens to our cognitive abilities as we age? Traditionally it is thought that age leads to a steady deterioration of brain function, but new research in Topics in Cognitive Science argues that ...

Depressive symptoms linked to adult-onset asthma in African-American women

2014-01-21
Depressive symptoms linked to adult-onset asthma in African-American women (Boston) – According to a new study from the Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC) at Boston University, African-American women who reported high levels of depressive symptoms had ...

How to improve HPV vaccination rates? It starts with physicians, Moffitt researchers say

2014-01-21
How to improve HPV vaccination rates? It starts with physicians, Moffitt researchers say Consistent recommendations from family doctors lacking The risk of developing cervical cancer can be significantly decreased through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. ...

Great Lakes evaporation study dispels misconceptions, need for expanded monitoring program

2014-01-21
Great Lakes evaporation study dispels misconceptions, need for expanded monitoring program ANN ARBOR—The recent Arctic blast that gripped much of the nation will likely contribute to a healthy rise in Great Lakes water levels in 2014, new research shows. But the processes ...

The brain's RAM

2014-01-21
The brain's RAM Rats, like humans, have a 'working memory' In computers it's called "RAM", but the mechanism is conceptually similar to what scientists call a "working memory" in the brain of humans and primates: when we interact ...

Vancouver: Nearby Georgia basin may amplify ground shaking from next quake

2014-01-21
Vancouver: Nearby Georgia basin may amplify ground shaking from next quake SAN FRANCISCO -- Tall buildings, bridges and other long-period structures in Greater Vancouver may experience greater shaking from large (M 6.8 +) earthquakes than previously ...

January/February 2014 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet

2014-01-21
January/February 2014 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet Self-rated Health an Efficient and Effective Predictor of Long-Term Depression Risk Self-rated health appears to be a strong and consistent predictor of the risk of future depression in patients ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Plastic in the soil, but not as we know it: Biodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields

Yeast proteins reveal the secrets of drought resistance

Psychiatry, primary care, and OB/GYN subspecialties hit hardest by physician attrition

New Canadian study reveals where HIV hides in different parts of the body

Lidocaine poisonings rise despite overall drop in local anesthetic toxicity

Politics follow you on the road

Scientists blaze new path to fighting viral diseases

The mouse eye as a window to spotting systemic disease

AI and the Future of Cancer Research and Cancer Care to headline October 24 gathering of global oncology leaders at the National Press Club: NFCR Global Summit to feature top scientists, entrepreneurs

FDA clears UCLA heart tissue regeneration drug AD-NP1 for clinical trials

Exploring the therapeutic potential of cannabidiol for Alzheimer's

We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, more accurately, U-M researchers say

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Disease risk but not remission status determines transplant outcomes – new ASAP long-term results

Sperm microRNAs: Key regulators of the paternal transmission of exercise capacity

Seeing double: Clever images open doors for brain research

Inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions in the US

UCLA Health study finds inhalers for asthma and COPD drive significant greenhouse gas emissions

A surgical handover system for patient physiology and safety

Cardiovascular health changes in young adults and risk of later-life cardiovascular disease

Nurse workload and missed nursing care in neonatal intensive care units

How to solve the remote work stalemate – dissertation offers tools for successful hybrid work

Chip-based phonon splitter brings hybrid quantum networks closer to reality

Texas Children’s researchers create groundbreaking tool to improve accuracy of genetic testing

Milken Institute, Ann Theodore Foundation announce more than $2.5 million in new funding for sarcoidosis research and launch new call for proposals

Boston University professor to receive 2025 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award

Pusan National University researchers reveal how forest soil properties influence arsenic mobility and toxicity in soil organisms

Korea University researchers find sweet taste cells resist nerve damage through c-Kit protein

HealthFORCE, AAPA, and West Health release “Aging Well with AI” – first in a two part series on AI and the healthcare workforce

The real reasons Endurance sank — study finds Shackleton knew of ship’s shortcomings

Marine heatwaves have hidden impacts on ocean food webs and carbon cycling

[Press-News.org] Study finds decreased life expectancy for multiple sclerosis patients