The enormous public health impact of conditions affecting the nervous system is quantified in a global analysis recently published in a world leading medical journal, The Lancet Neurology.
Distinguished Western Australian neurologist, Professor Graeme Hankey contributed to this study which focused on 37 conditions of the nervous system, confirming them as the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world. Cardiovascular diseases rank second.
Professor Hankey is the inaugural Perron Institute Chair in Stroke Research at The University of Western Australia.
“In 2021, two fifths of the world population (an estimated 3.4 billion people), had a condition affecting the nervous system,” Professor Hankey said.
“These disorders were diverse and included neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration and emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19.
“The 37 neurological conditions selected for the Global Burden of Disease Study were collectively the top contributors to ill-health and disability worldwide, measured as the sum of years of life lost to due to premature death and years lived with a disability.
“They led to the loss of the equivalent of 443 million years of full health globally in 2021,” Professor Hankey said.
The top ten conditions causing the greatest loss of years of healthy life were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy (disturbed neurological function in the earliest days of life in a baby born at or beyond 35 weeks’ gestation), migraine, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.
The review found that 81.9 per cent of deaths and 84.7 per cent of illness and disability due to neurological conditions occurred in low-to middle-income countries.
“The study results highlight the importance and huge need for effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system,” Professor Hankey said.
With the adoption of the Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders 2022–2031 by the World Health Assembly, the prevention, early identification, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the nervous system have been brought into focus. This study provides the latest evidence to guide ongoing advocacy and awareness efforts.
Led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, the Global Burden of Disease study involved researchers from over 150 countries and territories.