Health outcomes and healthcare service use in older adults with and without multiple sclerosis: a plain language summary

What is this summary about? This is a summary of a publication about multiple sclerosis (MS) in people aged 50 and over. The published study looked at information from over 10,700 people with MS and 10,700 people without MS from two large databases. This study was to find out whether health issues in older people were related to having MS or were due to the aging process and the diseases and conditions associated with getting older. What are the key takeaways? The study found that in people aged 50 and older, infections were more common in people with MS than in people without MS, likely due to immunosuppressive effects of MS treatment than the disease itself. Cancer was not more common. Doctors should take extra care to check for infections in older people with MS, particularly urinary tract infections. The study also found that older people with MS used skilled nursing facilities more often and had more MRI scans than older people without MS. Older people with MS started using mobility aids (canes, walkers, or wheelchairs) sooner than older people without MS. What were the main conclusions reported by the researchers? These findings suggest that in older people with MS, health issues were mainly related to having MS, rather than being due to aging alone. Although MS symptoms tend to begin in young adulthood, as people with MS get older their care and treatment may need to be adapted to their specific needs. The findings of this study may help to do that.