470 million in the Americas live with neurological disorders, study finds

Approximately 470 million people (two of every five residents) in the Americas live with at least one neurological disorder, according to a new study led by the Pan American Health Organization (OPS) and published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas. The analysis, based on the Global Burden of Disease 2023, examined 19 neurological conditions across 38 countries from 1990 to 2023 Source: hoydo.

The scope

• In 2023, these conditions caused 1.1 million deaths and accounted for 37.5 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), representing about 12% of the total non-communicable disease burden in the region Source: elcaribedr.
• The most prevalent disorders were migraine and tension-type headache, which affected the largest number of people Source: infobae.

Shifting burden

While age-adjusted mortality and disease burden have decreased since 1990, the absolute number of affected individuals has risen due to population growth and aging. The study highlights an epidemiological transition: vascular and congenital conditions are declining, while neurodegenerative and chronic age-related disorders are increasing Source: hoydo. In terms of DALYs, migraine was the leading cause of health loss, followed by Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, ischemic stroke, and intracerebral hemorrhage Source: infobae.

What's needed

"Today more people survive neurological disorders, but they also live longer with their consequences. This demands that health systems adapt to offer more rehabilitation, long-term care, and support for people living with disability," said Ramón Martínez, OPS health metrics specialist and lead author .