TPU scientists as part of an international collaboration: over the past 30 years, CNS diseases have become the first in terms of their impact on the health of the population

The results of the study were published in one of the most prestigious journals in the field of neurology – Lancet Neurology (Q1; IF: 48). 

The key parameter for measuring the burden of disease is the disability-adjusted life year (DALY). It is calculated as the number of years of healthy life without disability or functional impairment lost as a result of premature death or disability from a specific disease.

A global study showed that cumulative diseases of the nervous system are the leading cause of disability worldwide, resulting in an annual loss of more than 400 million years of healthy life in all countries combined. At the same time, the work considered a diverse group of diseases, including congenital CNS disorders, cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, neuroinfections, disorders of the peripheral nervous system, traumatic injuries, tumors of the nervous system, and a number of others

Thus, according to 2021 data, more than 3.4 billion people in the world suffered from one or another pathology of the nervous system, causing more than 11 million deaths and more than 275 million years of life lost due to dying from the disease (according to a separate indicator called YLL – Years of Life Lost from Mortality). These figures place diseases of the nervous system at the top of the list in terms of their impact on global health. By comparison, cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of all-cause mortality, are in second place in terms of the key parameters used to assess the burden of disease (DALY and YLL).

Participants in the international collaboration also noted a trend toward an increase in the total burden of disease associated with diseases of the nervous system and their consequences. Over the past 30 years, a global increase in DALY was observed, with an absolute increase of 18.2%, from 375 million YLL in 1990 to 443 million YLL in 2021.

This trend reflects global demographic and population aging trends, as well as increased exposure to environmental, metabolic and lifestyle risk factors, which are particularly important contributors to the development of non-communicable neurological diseases such as stroke and dementia. At the same time, age-standardized DALY from all neurological diseases is projected to decrease by 27% between 1991 and 2021, to 5,430 per 100,000 population.

In Russia, these figures are slightly lower than the world average and amount to 4,850 years lost to disease per 100,000 population. This is a good trend, but it is obvious that we should not let our guard down, because the incidence of disease in Russia remains at a high level. It is far behind the leading countries, for example, Australia with an indicator of 2,610 years lost per 100,000 inhabitants

In general, the decrease in these parameters (per 100 thousand people) was the result of increased public awareness of the signs and prevention of stroke, the use of statins and antihypertensive drugs, and other preventive measures. In particular, the decrease was found in high-income countries, confirming the link between economic development and the level of health of the nation.

“In this context, it is important not only to develop healthcare, but also to strengthen preventive measures and promote a healthy lifestyle in our country. All this is gradually bearing fruit, which we can observe in the context of a thirty-year period,” notes Evgeny Plotnikov.