Niven /niv-en/ [2 sylls.] as a boys' name. Niven's root is Latin, and the name Niven means holy, sacred; little bone; servant of the saint's disciple. Niven is a variant transcription of Nevin (Latin).
The average life expectancy for someone with MS is 35 years after the symptoms begin. This represents a life expectancy of 95 percent of someone who does not have multiple sclerosis. Most people with the disease can function effectively; however, a rare form of acute MS can be fatal within weeks.
If five patients live two years and one patient lives twenty years, the average life span would be five years. This is called a bimodal distribution and really the average has little meaning to either group. Keep in mind when you are looking at these numbers, that they are a blend of at least two averages.