Neurological disorders in the Global Burden

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The Global Burden of Disease study (GBD) is a large international initiative to collect and systematize data on disease burden expressed in non-economic terms, to allow comparisons across different disease conditions and countries.

OBJECTIVES:

To use data from the large GBD 2010 database to determine the importance of neurological disorders in Norway, and to compare it with global data on the same disorders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Relevant data were extracted from the Lancet publication from December 2012, and from the interactive website of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation on GBD.

RESULTS:

Neurological disorders (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, migraine and tension-type headache, other neurological disorders) account for 5-6% of the disease burden in Norway, which is more than it does globally. When also stroke, low back pain and neck pain are included, 10% of the disease burden in Norway is represented by neurological disorders.

CONCLUSIONS:

Neurological disorders are of great public health importance. This knowledge is useful in dimensioning and organizing healthcare systems and necessary when planning education of health personnel on all levels.

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

KEYWORDS:

Norway, global burden of disease, neurology, public health

PMID:

 

24588499

 

[PubMed - in process]

Thoracic outlet syndromes in sport: a practical review in the face of limited evidence--unusual pain presentation in an athlete

Despite thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) being first described early in the 19th century, the subsequent literature seems limited, focusing on case reports and investigations providing little assistance in the management of equivocal presentations. Best practice clinical management, with little evidence base, poses great challenges for clinicians in deciding how to manage TOS, when to operate and which procedure should be undertaken. Furthermore, the implications of TOS and its surgical effects are poorly documented, with little evidence in the literature as to the impact of surgical intervention on athletes and their physiology or function. This paper describes a clinical example of TOS highlighting salient issues and examining the evidence to guide clinical management at each stage, in the case of a 26-year-old professional football player who suffered an acute onset of unilateral right shoulder to bicep pain associated with tingling in the hand. Clinicians managing similar cases in the future will have a reference point to assist their diagnosis, management and promote much needed research to further our understanding of this difficult syndrome.

KEYWORDS:

Muscle injury and inflammation, Neurology, Orthopaedics, Shoulder injuries, Soccer

PMID:

 

24045906

 

[PubMed - in process]