Incidence, prevalence and disability associated with neurological disorders in Italy between 1990 and 2019: an analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Abstract

Background. Neurological conditions are highly prevalent and disabling, in particular in the elderly. The Italian population has witnessed sharp ageing and we can thus expect a rising trend in the incidence, prevalence and disability of these conditions.Methods. We relied on the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study to extract Italian data on incidence, prevalence and years lived with a disability (YLDs) referred to a broad set of neurological disorders including, brain and nervous system cancers, stroke, encephalitis, meningitis, tetanus, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury. We assessed changes between 1990 and 2019 in counts and age-standardized rates.Results. The most prevalent conditions were tension-type headache, migraine, and dementias, whereas the most disabling were migraine, dementias and traumatic brain injury. YLDs associated with neurological conditions increased by 22.5%, but decreased by 2.3% in age-standardized rates. The overall increase in prevalence and YLDs counts was stronger for non-communicable diseases with onset in old age compared to young to adult-age onset ones. The same trends were in the opposite direction when age-standardized rates were taken into account. Conclusions.The increase in YLDs associated with neurological conditions is mostly due to population ageing and growth: nevertheless, lived disability and, as a consequence, impact on health systems has increased.Actions are needed to improve outcome and mitigate disability associated with neurological conditions, spanning among diagnosis, treatment, care pathways and workplace interventions.

Xiongshao Zhitong Recipe Attenuates Nitroglycerin-Induced Migraine-Like Behaviors via the Inhibition of Inflammation Mediated by Nitric Oxide Synthase

“…Migraine is a complex disorder characterized by recurrent disabling attacks of headache accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and paroxysmal neurovascular dysfunction ( Raggi et al, 2022 ). The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) showed that migraine was one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, especially among young adults and middle-aged women ( Collaborators, 2018 ).…”

Managing of Migraine in the Workplaces: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Italian Occupational Physicians

“…Despite the aforementioned limits, our study advocates a stronger collaboration between OP and professionals involved in the management of migraine in the general population [ 9 , 15 ]. In this regard, our methodology could be implemented in future studies in order to assess a broader array of neurological disorders [ 5 ], and particularly headache [ 9 ], whose overall burden deeply affects the quality of life of affected individuals, creating a long-lasting imbalance between occupational requirements and workers’ potential performances [ 9 , 36 , 54 ]. Finally, future studies should also aim to distinctively evaluate a broader array of different work settings, focusing on both specific risk factors and properly tailored preventive interventions.…”

“…Migraine approximately affects 11% of the adult population of Western countries [ 1 ], with a disproportionately greater share of women compared to males (usually ranging from 3:1 to 4:1). In Italy, prevalence has been estimated between 8.2% and 13.7% [ 3 , 4 , 5 ], accounting for 5.2% of all-cause years lived in disability or YLD [ 5 ], while a more recent report from the Global Burden of Disease 2016 Headache Collaboration has identified the worldwide highest age-standardized prevalence rates, ranging from 20% to 21% [ 6 , 7 ].…”

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“…The world's population is aging as the number of people over the age of 60 years is projected to double by 2050 [3]. Moreover, the prevalence of non-communicable neurological conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease is increasing [4]. Functional limitations and disability accompany these conditions.…”