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March 2024
Researcher: Carissa Taruna
Editor: Alice Pham
The lives of an increasing number of people are affected by neurological disorders. According to a study conducted by the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study (GBD), in 2021, 3.4 billion people—more than 40% of the world’s population—had a condition affecting their nervous system. These results highlight the urgent need for immediate action and a broader understanding of the burden of neurological illnesses, along with several new initiatives.
Since 2016, the GBD initiative—headed by the University of Washington, Seattle, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)—reported health loss linked to 15 different neurological illnesses. Twenty-two additional problems are addressed in the latest analysis from IHME and WHO.
These include neurodevelopmental disorders, some viral illnesses, and the neurological consequences of various disorders. Other additions include diabetic neuropathy, ranked as the fifth leading cause, and neonatal encephalopathy, ranked as the second leading cause of nervous system-related disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Globally, stroke continues to be the primary cause of DALYs, followed by meningitis, neurological difficulties from preterm birth, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system malignancies. Overall, these 37 illnesses resulted in 443 million DALYs and 11.1 million deaths in 2021, an increase of 18% and 41%, respectively, since 1990.
Wolfgang Grisold, President of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN), stresses the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration to advance brain health, given that many of the conditions highlighted in the latest GBD analysis extend beyond the expertise of just neurologists. He advocates prioritizing preventive measures for neurological disorders and conducting further research to demonstrate their economic benefits in the Americas. These efforts should be considered top priorities across all regions.
On February 2, the WFN proposed shifting the focus of brain health advocacy away from a disease-centered approach towards promoting brain health in various sectors, including government and education. They also urged neurology trainees to engage in advocacy efforts. Ahead of the European Parliament elections on February 12, EFNA released a manifesto calling on EU policymakers to prioritize IGAP objectives, including patients in the decision-making process, and starting awareness efforts throughout the EU. On March 11–17, 2024, Brain Awareness Week, EFNA will introduce a Political Campaign Toolkit. In an effort to spur international efforts to protect brain health, WFN announced that Brain Health and Prevention will be the focus of World Brain Day on July 22, 2024. The WHO plans to publish a worldwide status report on neurology and an IGAP implementation toolkit in 2024.
The latest GBD data demonstrate that neurological disorders account for a significant burden in all age groups and worldwide. These results should spur advocacy, prompting people and policy-making bodies to realize the importance of neurological health throughout life and take measures to mitigate health loss linked with all nervous system illnesses.
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