Hi, With regards with progressing from rrms to spms, if you say for example you get diagnosed in your thirties, does this mean you could or will go onto develop spms sooner rather than someone who was diagnosed with rrms in your twenties?
I’m not sure it’s that hard and fast, to be honest. Some seem to have progressed fast, others much slower. I think ‘generally’ early diagnosis with sensory symptoms is supposed to tend to a slower progression but not always.
No, don’t think it follows.
I recently read that, on average, SPMS is 16 years after diagnosis. But of course, an average, by definition, takes no account of age at diagnosis.
I think people diagnosed young do take longer than average to reach SPMS, but still reach it at a younger age, if that makes sense. E.g. suppose someone diagnosed at 25 takes 20 years (longer than average) to reach SPMS, they will get there at 45. This would still be younger than someone diagnosed at 35, who takes the “average” 16 years - but will not get there 'til 51 (if my maths is OK after two glasses of wine).
I think it’s a waste of time worrying about it anyway, because statistics only tell us about large numbers of people. They can’t predict anything about the individual case - which might or might not comply with “the statistics”.
Tina
Hi,
This is a difficult one cos we are all different. I was born in 1954. First sympton in 1979, bladder emptied itself when aged 25 but managed to ignore it (I’m a bloke), went to doctor about double vision in 1994 aged 40, diagnosed in 1995, spms started in about 1999/2000 say 45 yearas old and had to stop work in 2012 say 58 So from first occurance to stopping work is 33 years. Progress of MS is very slow.
Others diagnosed at same age progress faster or slower. Each person is unique, there is no hard and fast rule.
Patrick
Hi, yes its a difficult one, I was DX’d with iriits in 1990 aged 30yrs, lived with syptoms for the next 16yrs, was DX’d at 46yrs, went into SPMS 2yrs later, so I was about 18yrs after my first episode, Jean x