Published 14 July 2021
First comprehensive estimates of disease burden from neurological disorders and their trends in every state of India from 1990 to 2019
The India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative published in The Lancet Global Health on 14 July 2021 the first comprehensive estimates of disease burden due to neurological disorders and their trends in every state of India. These neurological disorders include non-communicable neurological disorders (stroke, headache disorders, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, brain and central nervous system cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron diseases, and other neurological disorders), communicable neurological disorders (encephalitis, meningitis, and tetanus), and injury-related neurological disorders (traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries).
Key Findings from the scientific paper:
- The contribution of non-communicable and injury-related neurological disorders to the total disease burden more than doubled in India from 1990 to 2019, whereas the contribution of communicable neurological disorders reduced during this period by three-quarters.
- The burden of non-communicable neurological disorders is increasing in India mainly due to ageing of the population.
- While communicable diseases contributed to the majority of total neurological disorders burden in children younger than 5 years, non-communicable neurological disorders were the highest contributor in all other age groups.
- Stroke, headache disorders, and epilepsy are the leading contributors to neurological disorders burden in India. The contribution of all neurological disorders to disease burden in India is shown in the table on page 8 of this press release.
- Stroke caused 699,000 deaths in India in 2019, which was 7.4% of the total deaths in the country.
- The burden of many neurological disorders varied considerably between the states, which has significant implications for the policies and programmes to reduce this burden.
- Among the known risk factors for neurological disorders burden, high blood pressure, air pollution, dietary risks, high fasting plasma glucose, and high body-mass index are the leading contributors.
The paper published in The Lancet Global Health :
The burden of neurological disorders across the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2019. Lancet Global Health. 14 July 2021. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(21)00164-9/fulltext
Spokespersons:
- Prof Balram Bhargava, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi
- Prof Gagandeep Singh, Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana
- Dr Meenakshi Sharma, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi
- Prof N Girish Rao, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru
- Prof Kameshwar Prasad, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi
- Dr Prashant Mathur, National Institute of Disease Informatics and Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Bengaluru
- Prof Jeyaraj D Pandian, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana
- Prof Atanu Biswas, Bangur Institute of Neurosciences and Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata
- Prof Pramod K Pal, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru
- Prof Sanjay Prakash, Smt. B K Shah Medical Institute and Research Center, Vadodara
- Prof P N Sylaja, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum
- Dr Tarun Dua, World Health Organisation, Geneva
- Prof Lalit Dandona, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi; Public Health Foundation of India, Gurugram