Brain, Vol. 123, No. 8, 1677-1687,
August 2000
© 2000 Oxford University Press
Epidemiology of multiple sclerosis in US veterans VIII. Long-term survival after onset of multiple sclerosis
1 Neurology Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Georgetown University Medical School, and 2 Medical Follow-up Agency, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Correspondence to:
Mitchell T. Wallin, MD, MPH, Neurology Service, VA Medical Center, #127, 50 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC 20422, USA E-mail: mwallin@pol.net
Survival to 1996 was analysed for nearly 2500 veterans of World War II who were rated as `service-connected' for multiple sclerosis as of 1956 by the then Veterans Administration. Survival from onset was defined for all white women and black men, and a random sample of white men. Median survival times from onset were 43 years (white females), 30 years (black males) and 34 years (white males). Crude 50-year survival rates were 31.5% (white females), 21.5% (black males) and 16.6% (white males), but only the white females and white males were significantly different. A proportional hazard analysis was used to identify risk factors for mortality from multiple sclerosis onset year. Significant risk factors included male sex (risk ratio: 1.57), older age at onset (risk ratio: 1.05 per year) and high socioeconomic status (risk ratio: 1.05 per socioeconomic status category). There were no statistically significant differences in survival following multiple sclerosis onset by race or latitude of place of entry into military service, both significant risk factors associated with the development of multiple sclerosis. Standardized mortality ratios utilizing national US data (for 1956–96) showed a marked excess for all three race–sex groups of multiple sclerosis cases, with little difference among them, but with a decreasing excess over time. Relative survival rates, used to compare the survival of multiple sclerosis cases with that of other military veterans, did not differ significantly by sex–race group, nor by latitude of place of entry into military service, but did differ significantly by socioeconomic class. The lack of difference in male and female relative survival rates suggests that the significant difference in survival between male and female multiple sclerosis cases is, at least in part, a result of sex per se and not the disease.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  L Costelloe, A Thompson, C Walsh, N Tubridy, and M Hutchinson Long-term clinical relevance of criteria for designating multiple sclerosis as benign after 10 years of disease J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, November 1, 2008; 79(11): 1245 - 1248. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C Hirst, G Ingram, R Swingler, D A S Compston, T Pickersgill, and N P Robertson Change in disability in patients with multiple sclerosis: a 20-year prospective population-based analysis J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, October 1, 2008; 79(10): 1137 - 1143. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Kurtzke Some contributions of the Department of Veterans Affairs to the epidemiology of multiple sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis, September 1, 2008; 14(8): 1007 - 1012. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Warren, L. Svenson, and K. Warren Contribution of incidence to increasing prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Alberta, Canada Multiple Sclerosis, August 1, 2008; 14(7): 872 - 879. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. Leray, S. Morrissey, J. Yaouanq, M. Coustans, E. Le Page, J. Chaperon, and G. Edan Long-term survival of patients with multiple sclerosis in West France Multiple Sclerosis, August 1, 2007; 13(7): 865 - 874. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. R. Nielsen, K. Rostgaard, N. M. Nielsen, N. Koch-Henriksen, S. Haahr, P. S. Sorensen, and H. Hjalgrim Multiple Sclerosis After Infectious Mononucleosis Arch Neurol, January 1, 2007; 64(1): 72 - 75. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R T Naismith, K Trinkaus, and A H Cross Phenotype and prognosis in African-Americans with multiple sclerosis: a retrospective chart review Multiple Sclerosis, November 1, 2006; 12(6): 775 - 781. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. C Lo, O. Hadjimichael, and T. L Vollmer Treatment patterns of multiple sclerosis patients: a comparison of veterans and non-veterans using the NARCOMS registry Multiple Sclerosis, February 1, 2005; 11(1): 33 - 40. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 H. Bronnum-Hansen, N. Koch-Henriksen, and E. Stenager Trends in survival and cause of death in Danish patients with multiple sclerosis Brain, April 1, 2004; 127(4): 844 - 850. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M-L Sumelahti, P J Tienari, J Wikstrom, T M Salminen, and M Hakama Survival of multiple sclerosis in Finland between 1964 and 1993 Multiple Sclerosis, August 1, 2002; 8(4): 350 - 355. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|