Severe symptoms may lead to death, but not everyone afflicted with Minamata disease would die of it.
As with any illness, symptoms of Minamata disease vary from case to case, ranging from mild to severe.
Back when Minamata disease was officially found, there were cases in which patients showing extremely severe and fierce symptoms died within a few weeks. Such cases are indicated as "acute."
As of the end of October 2021, there are 397 recognized Minamata disease patients who are alive.