Evidence mapPaperPMID 40314829Full record

ArticleJournal of neurology2025

Mortality and causes of death for people with multiple sclerosis: a Finnish nationwide register study.

Katariina Kuutti, Sini M Laakso, Matias Viitala, Sari Atula, Merja Soilu-Hänninen

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Article in Journal of neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Katariina Kuutti *Department of Neurology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. katarha@utu.fi.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9642-2598
Sini M Laakso *Brain Center, Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Matias ViitalaStellarQ Ltd, Turku, Finland.
Sari AtulaBrain Center, Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Merja Soilu-HänninenDepartment of Neurology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPopulation-based longitudinal data on mortality and causes of death (COD) for people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) is scarce. We studied all-cause and cause-specific mortality in Finnish pwMS in a nationwide registry study.

methodsPwMS from 1st January 1971 until end of 2019 were identified from the Finnish MS registry and national health care register. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), excess death rates (EDRs), life expectancies, and causes of death (COD) were determined by linkage to national registries.

resultsFor 16,602 pwMS, 3936 deaths occurred between 1980 and 2020. During 1980-1999, SMR for pwMS was 3.07 (95% CI 2.91-3.25) and EDR 14.05 (95% CI 13.72-14.37), and during 2000-2020 2.18 (95% CI 2.10-2.26) and 7.48 (95% CI 7.2-7.75), respectively. SMRs were higher for female pwMS and for patients diagnosed under age 30. EDRs were higher for males. Risk of death was lower for pwMS diagnosed 1996-2005 versus 1980-1995 (HR 0.49; 95% CI 0.43-0.55; p < 0.001). MS was the underlying cause in 51.2%, and a mentioned cause in 73.1% of deaths during 2000-2020. Mortality by underlying cause was higher than expected for gastrointestinal diseases (SMR 2.15, 95% CI 1.53-2.77), respiratory infections (SMR 1.99, 95% CI 1.22-2.75), and vascular diseases (SMR 1.38, 95% CI 1.25-1.51). Median lifetime expectancy was shortened by 7 years.

conclusionExcess mortality in Finnish pwMS has decreased during the last 40 years. Life expectancy is shortened by 7 years and MS itself is the most frequent underlying COD. Risk of death is lower for pwMS diagnosed during the therapeutic era.

Indexed as

Multiple SclerosisRegistriesAdultAgedCause of DeathFemaleFinlandHumansLife ExpectancyLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedYoung AdultCause of deathMortalityMultiple sclerosisPopulation-basedRegister study

Identifiers

PMID40314829
PMCPMC12048406

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.