Burden of neurological diseases in Asia from 1990 to 2019: a systematic analysis using the Global Burden of Disease Study data

OBJECTIVES: The burden of neurological disorders is increasing worldwide, including Asia. The purpose of this study was to determine the burden of neurological disorders between 1990 and 2019 in Asia using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Sociodemographic Index. DESIGN, SETTING, OUTCOME AND PARTICIPANTS: The GBD Study is updated every year and the most recent version provides the burden of diseases according to age, gender and region from 1990 to 2019. The burden of neurological disorders was evaluated as incidence, prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), years of life lost and years lived with disability. RESULTS: In 2019, DALYs of neurological diseases were 64.4 million in South-East Asia (95% uncertainty interval (UI) 45.2 to 94.2) and 85.0 million in Western Pacific regions (95% UI 63.0 to 118.5). Stroke, migraine, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias had the highest DALYs in the WHO South-East Asia and WHO Western Pacific regions in 2019. DALYs of stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Parkinson’s disease, brain and central nervous system cancer, multiple sclerosis, migraine and tension-type headache increased in both regions in 2019 compared with 1990. Infectious diseases such as tetanus, meningitis and encephalitis decreased in both regions. DALYs of idiopathic epilepsy and motor neuron disease increased in the WHO South-East Asia region and decreased in the WHO Western Pacific region. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the burden of neurological diseases in Asia. To reduce the burden of neurological diseases, strategies suitable for each country’s real healthcare needs and challenges are needed; this study can serve as the cornerstone of these strategies.