Mortality among patients with multiple sclerosis in Poland

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BACKGROUND: Mortality studies in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are scarce. We aimed to investigate all-cause MS mortality in a large cohort from Poland and to compare it with the general Polish population METHODS: The annual mortality data (2002-2022) for all patients with MS who died in Poland were obtained from Statistics Poland. Mortality in MS compared with the general population was examined using the Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) and Excess Death Rates (EDR). SMR and EDR were specifically analyzed for the period between 2009 and 2021. RESULTS: From 2002 to 2022, 8932 MS deaths were recorded. The female-to-male death ratio remained stable (p = 0.562), with no significant differences between urban and rural areas (p = 0.905). The overall SMR and EDR (1.08 and 11.3, respectively), showed a decreasing trend over time (from 2.52 in 2009 to 0.63 in 2021; p < 0.001, and from 15.33 in 2009 to -5.03 in 2021; p < 0.001, respectively). The overall SMR and EDR were higher for males than females (1.40 vs 0.96; 52.13 vs -5.18, respectively) with a decreasing trend over time (p < 0.001). The overall SMR and EDR for rural areas were higher than urban areas (1.3 vs 1.01, 42.18 vs -1.71, respectively) with a declining trend observed over the study period (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Currently in Poland, the mortality rate among patients with multiple sclerosis is comparable to that of the general population, suggesting an increase in the life expectancy of patients with multiple sclerosis.