Advances in neurology highlighted

Experts at the annual meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) pointed out that diseases of the brain and nervous system are on the increase – with 50 million people in Europe now affected, at a cost of nearly 400 billion euro per year to health systems. Professor Gérard Said, newly elected president of the ENS, pointed out that diseases of the nervous system and the brain occur more frequently than cancer, yet the figures are often greatly underestimated. Moreover, the European Brain Council estimates that there will be a 20% increase in these diseases in coming years. The number of patients suffering dementia or Parkinson’s disease alone is expected to double. “Despite these figures, diseases of the brain and nervous system receive less public attention and funds than cancer or cardiovascular diseases, for example,” commented Prof. Said. “However, efforts to increase awareness have borne fruit and the EU, in recent years, has attached more importance to this issue.” Migraine is high on the list of the most common neurological diseases. According to the European Brain Council, around 41 million Europeans suffer from these chronic headaches. Around 4.8 m people in the EU area suffer from some form of dementia, around 2.6 m from epilepsy, 1.2 m from Parkinson’s disease, and around a million people a year suffer stroke. This all represents a major burden on national economies – with around a third of European healthcare costs ascribed to neurological diseases. In view of this, Prof. Said called for an increase in funding in the areas of basic research, the development of new methods of treatment and training of neurologists.

Neuropathy

The conference also highlighted the fact that incidence of neuropathy is often underestimated, with 20 to 30 million people worldwide affected by this widespread disease. In light of the steady increase in so-called “diseases of civilisation”, diabetic neuropathy, which affects more than one in three diabetics, represents a particular challenge to healthcare policy and medical practitioners. “The number of underdiagnosed and undertreated cases of diabetic neuropathy is very high, according to numerous international data,” commented Prof. Said. “This is especially problematic because early diagnosis and consistent treatment can often prevent dramatic consequences such as amputation.” Sensory-motor diabetic neuropathy is still the most important risk factor for non-accident related amputation of the lower extremities. According to the latest data from the American Diabetes Association, the most serious consequences – such an amputation – carries a 50% risk of mortality within three years and from 60% to 70% within five years.