Neurological disorders are the leading cause of physical and cognitive disability across the globe, currently affecting approximately 15% of the worldwide population 1. Absolute patient numbers have considerably climbed over the past 30 years.
Currently available therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. While there is no definitive cure for most neurodegenerative diseases, there are various therapies and interventions available to help manage symptoms, slow disease progression, and improve the quality of life for individuals affected by these conditions.
A major new study released by The Lancet Neurology shows that, in 2021, more than 3 billion people worldwide were living with a neurological condition. The World Health Organization (WHO) contributed to the analysis of the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study (GBD) 2021 data.
Conditions Alzheimer's disease and other memory disorders. Ataxia. Huntington's disease. Parkinson's disease. Motor neuron disease. Multiple system atrophy. Progressive supranuclear palsy.
Conclusions. Lifestyle including high sugar diets, alcohol and tobacco addiction or high diets as well as some intrinsic factors such as ageing, neuroinflammation, brain injury and oxidative stress, negatively influence the onset, severity and duration of neurodegenerative diseases (Figure 1).
Degenerative Nerve Diseases Many of these diseases are genetic. Sometimes the cause is a medical condition such as alcoholism, a tumor, or a stroke. Other causes may include toxins, chemicals, and viruses. Sometimes the cause is unknown.
There is no cure for any neurodegenerative disease—not Alzheimer's disease, or Parkinson's, or Huntington's, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or any of the numerous other diseases that, slowly or quickly, erode away at a person's ability to think, remember, or control their body movements.
A large prospective study found that a diet characterized by high intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, fish, and poultry, as well as limited intake of saturated , and moderate alcohol consumption was significantly associated with a lower risk of PD 50.
Some neurotoxic metals, like lead (Pb), aluminium (Al), Mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As), and also pesticides and metal-based nanoparticles, have been implicated in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.
Most neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the accumulation of aggregated proteins within neurons. These aggregate-prone proteins cause toxicity, a phenomenon that is further exacerbated when there is defective protein clearance.