New Delhi:

Neurological diseases such as epilepsy and dementia are now a leading cause of ill health and disability globally, affecting 3.4 billion people by 2021, according to a major new analysis published in The Lancet Neurology.

Globally, the number of people living with or dying from stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and neurological diseases such as meningitis has increased significantly over the past 30 years. Researchers say this is due to a growing and aging global population, as well as an increase in environmental, metabolic and lifestyle risk factors.

New analysis shows that globally, the total number of disabilities, illnesses and premature deaths caused by neurological disorders – a measure known as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) – has increased by 18% over the past 31 years , healthy life expectancy increased from about 375 million years lost in 1990 to 443 million years in 2021.

Researchers say the absolute number of DALYs continues to increase, largely due to aging and population growth globally.

The top ten causes of neurological health loss in 2021 are stroke, neonatal encephalopathy (brain damage), migraines, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), meningitis, epilepsy, premature birth of neurological complications, autism spectrum disorder and, they say, neurological cancers.

The neurological consequences of COVID-19 (cognitive impairment and Guillain-Barre syndrome) rank 20th, resulting in 2.48 million years of healthy life lost in 2021, researchers said.

The most prevalent neurological disorders in 2021 are tension-type headaches (about 2 billion cases) and migraines (about 1.1 billion cases). Researchers say diabetic neuropathy is the fastest growing of all neurological diseases.

Liane Ong, co-senior author of the study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, USA, said: “The number of people living with diabetic neuropathy has more than tripled globally since 1990 and will increase to 10,000 by 2021. 206 million.”

“This is consistent with the increasing prevalence of diabetes worldwide,” Ong said in a statement.

The study builds on previous Global Burden of Disease (GBD) studies and aims to provide the largest and most comprehensive analysis to compare the prevalence and burden of neurological diseases across countries globally between 1990 and 2021.

“Each country now has an estimate of its neurological burden based on the best available evidence,” said Dr. Jaimie Steinmetz, lead author of the IHME.

“Neurological diseases are a major contributor to the world’s overall disease burden, with a 59% increase in global cases since 1990. Neurological diseases must be addressed through effective, culturally acceptable and affordable prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and long-term care strategies to solve it,” Steinmetz said.

Researchers say more than 80% of neurological deaths and health losses occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Overall, they said, the estimates show significant differences in neurological burden between regions of the world and national income levels.

Research shows that in high-income Asia-Pacific and Australia, which have the best neurological health outcomes, DALY rates and death rates in 2021 were below 3,000 and 65 per 100,000 people respectively.

Stroke, migraines, dementia, diabetic neuropathy and autism spectrum disorder are the leading causes of health loss in these areas, the study found.

In the poorest regions of west and central sub-Saharan Africa, disability-adjusted life annual rates and mortality rates will increase fivefold by 2021 (more than 7,000 and 198 per 100,000 people, respectively), including stroke, neonatal encephalopathy ( Brain injury), dementia and meningitis are the largest causes of lost healthy lifespan.

“Neurological health losses disproportionately affect many of the poorest countries, in part by affecting newborns and children under 5 Children under 10 years old have a higher prevalence of disease, especially birth-related complications and infections,” said the study’s co-senior author.

“Improving infant survival rates have led to an increase in long-term disability, while limited access to treatment and rehabilitation services has led to a significant increase in the proportion of deaths in these countries,” Dua said.

The researchers highlight that as of 2017, only a quarter of countries globally had separate budgets for neurological diseases, and only about half had clinical guidelines. PTI SAR KRS SAR

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)