Leading Cause of Disability: Roughly 3.4 Billion Individuals Live With Neurological Conditions, Data Analysis Reveals

According to a new study, more than 3.4 billion individuals worldwide live with a neurological condition.

The Rise of Neurological Conditions

The World Health Organization (WHO) contributed such a study to examine how individuals worldwide are affected by neurological conditions. After examining data from the GBD 2021 (Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study), the scientists learned that roughly 3.4 billion individuals battle the condition, equivalent to 43.1% of the world's population.

On top of this, neurological conditions were also found to be the leading disability cause.

The surge of neurological conditions is linked to premature death increases. Most of these deaths take place in countries of low and middle income, where neurological healthcare has seen great limits.

Findings were noted in the "Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021" study.

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Neurological Conditions and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

The GDC report covers health loss data worldwide from 1990 to 2021. Such data includes 371 different conditions and spans over 200 territories and countries.

The scientists mainly focused on health loss that impacts the nervous system, including neurodevelopmental disorders and neurological conditions. These include Alzheimer's disease, stroke, autism spectrum disorder, meningitis, encephalitis, multiple sclerosis (MS), and Parkinson's disease.

The researchers also considered the neurological effects of diseases that do not have a neurological nature.

As they were performing their analysis, the researchers looked into the years lived with disability to learn more about the conditions' non-fatal burden. They examined the years of life lost, the number of deaths, and premature deaths.

The researchers also made calculations regarding disability-adjusted life years. This considered the years that a person lived with their disability and the years of life lost by age, sex, location, and year.

They also focused on the location of individuals impacted by such neurological conditions. With the help of World Bank income levels, they classified individuals based on whether they were from a middle- or low-income country.

As part of the study, the researchers identified the top neurological conditions based on the GBD report that affected health loss. This includes migraine, neonatal encephalopathy, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, meningitis, diabetic neuropathy, neurological complications associated with preterm birth, epilepsy, nervous system cancer, and autism spectrum disorder.

The findings also showed that, since 1990, there was an 18% increase in illness, disability, and early death due to such conditions.

Diabetic neuropathy was found to have the fastest growth. It was also observed to have a heightened prevalence, increasing threefold since 1990. This condition leads to nerve damage in the legs and feet. It could result in infections and amputations.

The study also found that individuals from low and middle-income nations are affected by neurological conditions in a disproportionate way. Over 80% of deaths related to neurological conditions took place in such countries.

The authors note that public health officials can focus on modifiable risk factors to reduce the odds of developing neurological conditions. The WHO is also focusing on neurological conditions to boost healthcare access for managing such conditions.

The research stresses the need for enhanced neurological healthcare and more preventive measures.

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