Low socioeconomic status was associated with a higher mortality risk in multiple sclerosis

Background: The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and mortality among persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) is poorly understood. Objective: To investigate the association between SES and mortality risk in PwMS. Methods: From health-administrative data, we identified 12,126 incident MS cases with a first demyelinating event (MS ‘onset’) occurring between 1994 and 2017. Cox proportional hazard model assessed the association between socioeconomic status quintiles (SES-Qs) at MS onset and all-cause mortality. Results: Lower SES-Qs were associated with higher mortality risk; adjusted hazard ratios: SES-Q1 (most deprived) =1.61 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.36–1.91); SES-Q2 = 1.26 (95% CI = 1.05–1.50); SES-Q3 = 1.22 (95% CI = 1.02–1.46); SES-Q4 = 1.13 (95% CI = 0.94–1.35) versus SES-Q5 (least deprived). Conclusion: A lower SES was associated with higher mortality risk in PwMS.