Does relapsing-remitting MS always progress to secondary progressive MS?

[barra8t2]

Hello all,
I am in need of some guidance as a someone that I am very close to has MS. I am  very worried that her MS will progress from relapsing-remitting MS to secondary progressive MS. She was diognosed at the age of 14 with relapsing-remitting MS and has been taking medication since with no signs of it worstening over time.

I have searched for an answer on the internet but have not found the specific information,just stuff that freaks me out!!!

Thanks you all for your time and support in advance.
God bless.

[barra8t2]

Thank you both so much for taking the time to reply. I feel a lot better knowing there is only a slight chance of her MS progressing as she ages. I was lead to believe (by Google) that after 5-15 years it is enevedable

[barra8t2]

*inevitable that it will progress. I am glad this is  not the case anymore.

Kind regards,

Barra.

[HVAC]

Every case is individual. I have had MS since I was 2 years old. Most of my damage happened in early childhood. Nothing has changed much in years and I am 52 so I have had MS for 50 years.

Think of a graph. With RRMS the peaks and valleys are tall and deep. With SPMS they are longer but not high or deep. It is a bit more stable.
With medications she might continue the way she is going. Most of the research is older before there were so many medications out there. The landscape is changed for the better. Many people are not ending up in wheelchairs anymore.

Some doctors do not feel the divisions for RRMS are accurate. They are just guidelines. People cross between them. But every case is individual.

The hard part of this disease is you do not know what will happen in the future. You can't live waiting for the other shoe to fall. Not all symptoms come to all people. I for one have never had optic neuritis.  I used to worry about getting it.

Other diseases are the same they are unpredictable and there is no one size fits all. Everyone's MS is different.

Alex

[supermum_ms]

Hello and welcome,

Once upon a time, before disease modifying drugs it was common for RRMS to transfer to SPMS, today the history of RRMS is basically different to what it once was because the DMD's slow down and reduce relapses, which ultimately minimises damage to the CNS, so SPMS is no longer the expected outcome for RRMS.

Keep in mind that there are no guarantees but theoretically, if the MSer in question has been on a DMD for years and he/she hasn't worsened over time, it's possible their unique disease course will continue as it has been and SPMS will not be in their future.

I would suggest you avoid researching MS, if it's triggering your anxious thoughts and unnecessarily worrying you about situations that are not current and truly might never happen.....each MSer is unique, try not to worry about what may or may not happen at some time in the distant future!

Cheers........JJ