A new paper published in the Annals of Neurology
reports the most common neurological diseases pose a serious annual financial
burden for the nation.
The report notes
that the current estimated annual cost to American society of just nine of the
most common neurological diseases is staggering, totaling $789 billion in 2014
dollars. These conditions include Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, low back
pain, stroke, traumatic brain injury, migraine, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis,
spinal cord injury, and Parkinson's disease.
Costs will
increase even further over the coming years as the elderly segment of the
population nearly doubles between 2011 and 2050. The costs of dementia and
stroke alone are projected to total over $600 billion by 2030. The article
provides an action plan for reducing this burden through infrastructure
investment in neurological research and enhanced clinical management of neurological
disorders.
"The
findings of this report are a wake-up call for the nation, as we are facing an
already incredible financial burden that is going to rapidly worsen in the
coming years," said lead author Dr. Clifton Gooch. "Although society
continues to reap the benefits of the dramatic research investments in heart
disease and cancer over the last few decades, similar levels of investment are
required to fund neuroscience research focused on curing devastating
neurological diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer's, both to help our patients
and also to avoid costs so large they could destabilize the entire health care
system and the national economy."
Story Source:
Materials
provided by Wiley. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal
Reference:
Clifton L.
Gooch, Etienne Pracht, Amy R. Borenstein. The Burden of Neurological Disease
in the United States: A Summary Report and Call to Action. Annals of
Neurology, 2017; DOI: 10.1002/ana.24897
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170328105855.htm
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