The Burden of Neurological Diseases in East Asia: An Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023.
The Burden of Neurological Diseases in East Asia: An Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023.
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Nanning, CN · Author affiliation
Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.Location evidence
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Original abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neurologic disorders represent a growing global health burden. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, they remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, a comprehensive assessment specifically focused on East Asia has been lacking. This study investigates data from the Global Burden of Disease 1990-2023 study to provide detailed and updated insights into the burden of neurologic disorders in East Asia. METHODS: We analyzed the 1990-2023 burden of 13 neurologic disorders in East Asia (e.g., stroke, dementia, epilepsy, migraine) using incidence, prevalence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), stratified by sex, age, year, and location. Joinpoint regression assessed temporal trends and annual changes in age-standardized rates. RESULTS: In 2023, the neurologic disorders with the highest absolute DALYs in East Asia were stroke (44.42 million, 95% uncertainty interval [UI] 39.17-49.56), Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (12.02 million, 95% UI: 5.87-23.28), and migraine (6.80 million, 95% UI 4.56-9.33). Stroke was the leading cause of neurologic deaths (2.13 million, 95% UI 1.81-2.42), followed by Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (0.61 million, 95% UI 0.15-1.44) and Parkinson's disease (0.03 million, 95% UI 0.03-0.04). From 1990 to 2023, the overall age-standardized DALY rates (ASDR) for neurological disorders showed a slight decline (EAPC = -0.05; 95% confidence interval: -0.1 to -0.01). However, both the absolute number of DALYs and the prevalence of neurological disorders demonstrated a steady increase, driven primarily by population growth and aging. This divergence between declining age-standardized risk and rising absolute burden poses a mounting challenge for healthcare systems in the region. Substantial regional variation was observed in age-standardized rates across East Asia. Joinpoint regression analysis further revealed declining trends in the ASDR, age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), and age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) for stroke, whereas Alzheimer's disease and other dementias showed significant increases across all three metrics. Migraine exhibited increases in ASDR, ASIR, and ASPR. DISCUSSION: This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of the burden of neurological disorders in East Asia from 1990 to 2023, revealing an urgent need for targeted public health strategies to address the growing challenge of neurological disorders.