Disease-related conditions in elderly patients with multiple sclerosis

Improved therapies have increased life expectancy in multiple sclerosis patients, resulting in a group of patients aged 65 years and older. Nowadays, health professionals are caring for more and more elderly multiple sclerosis patients, but little is known about the specific problems of these individuals. A review including relevant papers on problems reported by elderly multiple sclerosis patients revealed that the number of studies addressing this topic is still very limited. Most of these studies included only small patient sample sizes (27-169 patients), and were not originally designed to investigate elderly multiple sclerosis patients. Information on the clinical course of multiple sclerosis in elderly patients revealed proportions of 62-90% with relapsing-remitting courses. Main problems reported included disabilities in mobility and activities of daily living. The findings on depressive symptoms and suicidal tendencies were inconsistent. Specific recommendations for treatment of multiple sclerosis in elderly patients were not found. The studies highlight the problem that health professionals should be aware of an increasing group of elderly multiple sclerosis patients with many specific needs, avoiding nursing home admissions being a particular challenge. Furthermore, studies on the problems of elderly multiple sclerosis patients are required.