Differences in Income Growth Between People With Multiple Sclerosis and Controls: A Norwegian Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine if people with MS (pwMS) experience a different income development from controls, and if so, at what age, and at what time in the disease course. METHODS: We examined income development for pwMS compared to matched controls in a Norwegian cohort. We assessed the impact of both age and time from diagnosis on income using linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS: Men with MS (mwMS) had, on average, a lower income trajectory compared to controls at an earlier age than women with MS (wwMS) (49 vs. 55 years). For men, the gap was increasing throughout the entire working age, while women were catching up with their controls close to retirement age. Although the absolute difference from controls is larger for mwMS than wwMS from age 50, the difference between the sexes is only statistically significant from age 60. The income increase rate was lower for both mwMS and wwMS compared to controls after being diagnosed with MS. For mwMS, the difference is evident 2 years after diagnosis, and for wwMS, 5 years after diagnosis. The average income loss experienced by mwMS was double that of women from 6 years after diagnosis, but the difference was not statistically significant when comparing the sexes. CONCLUSIONS: PwMS have lower income development than controls. Men lose income earlier in life and earlier in the disease course than women.