We live longer and older. Life expectancy continues to increase in Spain, but this is not always accompanied by quality of life. Neurological diseases are already the leading cause of poor health in the world. It is estimated that 43% of the world’s population suffers from one of them and in our country alone they affect more than 23 million people. As if that were not enough, in the last 10 years mortality from diseases such as dementia, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s has increased exponentially, being those responsible for 19% of the deaths in our countrywith a greater weight among women (23.5%) compared to men (14.5%).
These data, reflected in two reports presented by the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN), on the occasion of the entity’s 76th annual meeting, detail a situation that will be aggravated if measures are not taken in the short term.
«It is an obligation on everyone’s part to propose prevention programs, from a young age, related to brain health. When it happens, the patient must be able to recognize that something is wrong, regardless of your age», highlighted the president of the SEN, Jesús Porta-Etessam.
Taking into account the mortality for each disease, the report ‘Social and health impact of neurological diseases in Spain’ places the ictus as the first—despite the fact that it is not among the five main causes of death—with 28,712; followed by the dementia (22.117), the Alzheimer’s (14,634) and the parkinson (4,615).
In turn, neurological pathologies were the most frequent cause for which euthanasia was performed in 2022, specifically 42% due to ALS; 11% due to multiple sclerosis and 8.5% due to Parkinson’s.
The SEN projections indicate that, in less than 15 years, the number of cases of stroke alone will increase by 35%. Furthermore, if preventive measures are not taken, a 45% increase in deaths for this reason and a 25% increase in the number of survivors with disabilities is expected in the next 10 years in Europe.
Diseases in young and old
The report also states that The prevalence of these disorders in Spain is 18% higher than the world averagel, and 1.7% higher than surrounding countries due to population aging and longer life expectancy. However, the SEN highlights that these diseases occur not only at advanced age, they also appear in young people, with pathologies of different severity, but with a morbidity that produces a significant impact on the health, economic and work conditions of the people who suffer from them. they suffer from them.
The good news is that a significant proportion of cases can be avoided if controlled modifiable risk factorssuch as blood pressure, cholesterol levels and diabetes, reduce alcohol and tobacco consumption, follow a healthy diet, practice regular physical exercise and have a good sleep routine.
Hospital care
Regarding the impact of these diseases on hospital care, the data indicate an increase in the volume of care in hospitals. Specifically, if in 2001 the total number of admitted patients represented 4.2%, In 2018 this percentage rose to 5.5%. An increase that, according to the SEN, is especially significant in dementia, including in cases of Alzheimer’s. However, the most common disease as a cause of hospitalization is stroke and it constitutes the third pathology by number of hospital admissions in Spain. Regarding hospital stays, each patient admitted for neurological pathology has an average stay of 11.8 days.
According to data collected by the SEN, Between 2.1 and 3.9 million Spaniards undergo neurological consultations throughout the year. That is, between 5 and 8% of the Spanish population will require consultation with a neurologist throughout the year. For this reason, from the Spanish Society of Neurology, effective prevention strategies are demanded, not only because many neurological diseases are preventable, but because good brain health can influence the way in which patients cope with the damage caused by the disease, delay the appearance of symptoms and reduce disability. According to the Society’s data, 80% of stroke cases are preventable, as are 40% of dementia and 30% of epilepsy.
#Dementia #Alzheimers #Parkinsons.. #mortality #neurological #diseases #increases #Spain
