India’s neurological disease burden rising

Source: The Hindu

What is the News?

India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative has published in Lancet the first-ever comprehensive estimates of disease burden due to neurological disorders in India from 1990 to 2019.

Note: India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative is a collaborative effort between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Public Health Foundation of India, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, and others.

What are Neurological disorders?
  • Neurological disorders are medically defined as disorders that affect the brain as well as the nerves found throughout the human body and the spinal cord.
  • Categories: The three categories of neurological disorders include:
    • Non-communicable neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, central nervous system cancer, Parkinson’s disease, etc.
    • Communicable neurological disorders like encephalitis etc.
    • Injury-related neurological disorders like traumatic brain injuries etc.
Key Findings of the Study:
  • Around 82.8% of the total neurological disorders burden in India is due to non-communicable disorders, 11.2% due to communicable ones, and 6% due to injury-related ones
  • The contribution of non-communicable and injury-related neurological disorders to the total disease burden in India has more than doubled between 1990 and 2019.
  • Reason: mainly due to the aging of the population.
  • Risk Factors: High blood pressure, air pollution, and high body-mass index were the known risk factors for the burden of the neurological disorder.
  • State wise: This burden is higher in less developed States. On the other hand, the burden of the disorders related to the injury is higher in more developed States.
  • Suggestions: The study has called for increased awareness, early identification, cost-effective treatment, and rehabilitation among other efforts to reduce the burden of neurological disorders in each state.
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