Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disease worldwide.

3.4 billion people live with a neurological condition, making conditions that affect the nervous system the leading cause of illness and disability worldwide, according to a new study in The Lancet Neurology.

According to the study, the burden of disease due to neurological disorders affects more than 43% of the world’s population. Since 1990, the total number of disability, illness and premature deaths due to neurological disorders has increased by 18%.

Although the study examined a variety of diseases that cause health loss, three of the top ten conditions included stroke, dementia and diabetic neuropathy, or nerve damage from diabetes. Here’s what you need to know about these health conditions.

Heart attack

A stroke occurs when blood flow from an artery is blocked by a clot or when a blood vessel bursts, damaging part of the brain. Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in America, causing more than 795,000 deaths annually, according to the CDC.

Patients who have had a stroke typically have numbness or weakness on one side of the body, problems seeing, difficulty walking, and difficulty speaking and understanding others. Although a stroke can occur at any age, the majority occur at an older age. However, most risk factors are modifiable and include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, smoking and alcohol.

Time is of the essence in stroke treatment, which underlines the importance of recognizing signs and symptoms of stroke. For those who go to the hospital or stroke center within three hours of the onset of symptoms and have a blood clot responsible for blocking an artery to the brain, studies show that starting certain medications results in less disability and brain damage compared to those who do not receive the medications or receive them after 3 hours of symptom onset.

Dementia

Dementia refers to a group of diseases that can lead to a reduced ability to think, remember and make daily decisions that interfere with daily activities. Although older age is a risk factor for dementia, it is not part of normal aging. As one grows older, it is normal to lose keys or occasionally forget details of specific events that occur in our lives, but it is not normal to forget the names of family members or old memories; as happens in people with dementia.

Among people age 65 and older, nearly 5 million Americans had dementia in 2014, and this number is estimated to reach about 14 million by 2060, according to the CDC. Risk factors for dementia, besides age, include family history, traumatic brain injury, diabetes, smoking, alcohol, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and impaired sleep.

Diabetic neuropathy

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that results from high blood sugar levels, and diabetic neuropathy refers to the nerve damage that occurs when blood sugar levels are out of control in diabetic patients. According to the study, more than 38 million Americans had diabetes in 2021 American Diabetes Associationand half of all people with diabetes have nerve damage, according to CDC.

Nerve damage can be debilitating for those who suffer from it. For example, diabetic patients with neuropathy often feel numbness or tingling in their feet. Sometimes, due to a lack of sensation in their feet due to nerve damage, they may not realize sores or sores that develop from various injuries, which can then lead to limb-threatening infections that sometimes require amputations.

Risk factors for diabetes include age and family history; but also modifiable factors such as obesity, physical inactivity and developing diabetes during pregnancy.

Challenges in the treatment of neurological disorders

According to the aforementioned study in The Lancet Neurology, 80% of neurological deaths and health losses occur in low- and middle-income countries. Furthermore, high-income countries have 70 times more neurology professionals than middle- and low-income countries. These global health disparities underscore the importance of training healthcare workers in low-income countries and providing much-needed resources to improve the health of so many people in dire need around the world.

Lesson learned

A common denominator among many of the neurological conditions that contribute to disease and disability worldwide are modifiable risk factors that we can all change. These include obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and alcohol; to name a few. Eliminating major risk factors could prevent 84% of disability-adjusted life years in the event of stroke, according to the study in The Lancet Neurology. These diseases are largely preventable, but it remains up to us collectively to take our health seriously to curb what has become the leading cause of disability in the world.