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The top 10 contributors to neurological health loss in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy (brain injury), migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications from preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancers. Neurological consequences of COVID-19 (cognitive impairment and Guillain-Barré syndrome) ranked 20th, accounting for 2.48 million years of healthy life lost in 2021.
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Overall, estimates reveal striking differences in nervous system burden between world regions and national income levels. In high-income Asia Pacific and Australasia—regions with the best neurological health—the rate of DALYs and deaths were under 3,000 and 65 per 100,000 people, respectively, in 2021
The medical personnel who care for people with neurological conditions are unevenly distributed around the world, with high-income countries having 70 times more neurological professionals per 100,000 individuals than LMICs
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The analysis suggests that modifying 18 risk factors over a person's lifetime—most importantly, high systolic blood pressure (57% of DALYs)—could prevent 84% of global DALYs from stroke.
Nervous system conditions include infectious and vector-borne diseases and injuries as well as non-communicable diseases and injuries, demanding different strategies for prevention and treatment throughout life," said Steinmetz
Because many neurological conditions cannot be cured, the researchers urged a stronger emphasis on prevention. Their suggested measures included efforts to lower blood pressure, reduce exposure to lead and cut high blood glucose levels.