According to The Global Burden of Disease In India study published by the Indian Council of Medical Research along with neurologists from various institutes across the country has found that over a period of almost three decades (1990-2021) the proportion of Indians suffering from strokes, headaches, Alzheimer’s and other dementias has doubled.
In 2019, the largest contributors to the total neurological disorder DALYs (Disability Adjusted Life Year) in India were stroke (37·9%), headache disorders (17·5%), epilepsy (11·3%), cerebral palsy (5·7%), and encephalitis (5·3%).
Stroke caused 699,000 deaths, which was 7.4% of the total deaths in the country in 2019. According to the study, “The contribution of non-communicable neurological disorders to total DALYs (disability adjusted life-years) in India doubled from 4·0% in 1990 to 8·2% in 2019, and the contribution of injury-related neurological disorders increased from 0·2% to 0·6%.”
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).
According to the study, in 2019, the largest contributors to the total neurological disorder DALYs in India were stroke (37·9%), headache disorders (17·5%), epilepsy (11·3%), cerebral palsy (5·7%), and encephalitis (5·3%). Stroke, headache disorders, and epilepsy are the leading contributors to neurological disorders burden in India, the study said adding that “Headache is the commonest neurological disorder affecting 1 in 3 Indians, and is often neglected in terms of public health priority. It is the second leading contributor to the disease burden from neurological disorders in India. Migraine affects females more than males, greatly affecting adults in the working age population. Headaches, especially migraine, need to be recognised as a public health problem and included under the national NCD programme,” said N Girish Rao, professor, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, and a co-author on the paper.
The study also suggested that the burden of non-communicable neurological disorders is increasing in India mainly due to ageing of the population. 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.
Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, and Director General, ICMR, Balram Bhargava, said, “Neurological disorders contribute 10% of the total disease burden in India. There is a growing burden of non-communicable neurological disorders in the country, which is mainly attributable to ageing of the population,”
Vinod Paul, member of NITI Aayog, said “Several government policies and initiatives are in place to address the burden of neurological disorders across India however more focused efforts are required for the planning of specific neurology services in each state. There is a need to address the shortage of trained neurology workforce, and strengthen early detection and cost-effective management of neurological disorders in the country to deal with their growing burden.”
Lalit Dandona, director of the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative, scientist at ICMR, distinguished professor at public health foundation of India (PHFI), and senior author of this paper said, “While the burden of infectious neurological disorders has fallen in India, this burden is higher in less developed states. On the other hand, the burden of neurological disorders related to injury is higher in more developed states. Among non-communicable neurological disorders, stroke is the third leading cause of death in India, and dementias are the fastest growing neurological disorder.”
