1 S T CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY

Berlin, Germany, June 20-23, 2015

Neurological disease underestimated experts call for

more resources for research and patient care
More than 220 people in Europe suffer from some form of neurological disease
a ticking time bomb for health care systems due to the sheer numbers
involved. The incidence of many conditions such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons or
stroke will skyrocket in an aging society. Experts are calling for policy makers
to finally give neurology the priority it demands and put it at the top of the
agenda. Now is the moment to secure the necessary resources for treatment
and research in Europe, explained EAN President Prof. Guenther Deuschl at the
Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Berlin.
Berlin, 22 June 2015 The sheer scale and impact of neurological disease in Europe is
underestimated and often overlooked. As a specialisation, neurology is under-resourced in
many European countries. Research activities and providing care for neurological patients
must be given a much higher priority at all levels, cautioned Prof Guenther Deuschl of
the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, President of the European
Academy of Neurology (EAN), at the societys inaugural congress in Berlin. More than
6,500 experts from all over the world are discussing the latest developments in their field
from 20 to 23 June in the German capital city. The EAN was set up last year following a
merger between the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) and the
European Neurological Society (ENS).
According to Prof Deuschl, around one third of the population requires treatment by a
neurologist at least once in their lifetime. Data published by the European Brain Council
shows that 220.7 million people in Europe 1 suffer from at least one neurological disease
more than the populations of France, Germany and the United Kingdom put together, he
noted.
There are just around 25,000 neurologists in the EU countries to serve this demand, albeit
with some regions better covered than others: depending on the country, there are
between four and 13 neurologists per 100,000 people. Prof Deuschl: This is barely
enough even at this stage, and looking to the future we are increasingly heading towards
a shortfall. Many neurological diseases such as stroke, dementia or Parkinsons are agerelated, meaning that incidence increases as the population continues to age. And
according to Eurostat, while the over-65 age group currently accounts for around a
quarter of the total population, this is set to increase to 52 percent by 2060.

Neurology: specialisation moving at high speed

However, modern neurology is in a position to counter this development to some extent.
As a specialisation, neurology is moving at high speed few other areas are moving
forward so quickly. All of the subspecialties that are brought together under the umbrella
of neurology are contributing to this progress, Prof Deuschl explained. We are
increasingly finding preventative, diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative answers to
the growing challenges posed by these diseases.
In his view, neurologists and health care policy makers have common aims: Europe has
to do more to combat neurological disease, thats clear enough, the EAN President
emphasised. An important first step would be to invest a sizeable chunk of the
approximately eight billion euros made available for medical research by the EUs Horizon
2020 programme in neurological research and the neurosciences.

Neurological disease weighing on European economies

Securing sufficient funds for neurology is vital because many neurological diseases not
only cause considerable human suffering, but also lead to loss of independence, not least
through disabilities and need for longterm-care. And the cost of neurological disease is
1

Calculation includes EU-27 plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland

1 S T CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY

Berlin, Germany, June 20-23, 2015

painfully high, with the direct and indirect economic burden amounting to more than 336
billion euros per year2 more than the entire German national budget. The top three
culprits are dementia (105 billion), followed by stroke (64 billion) and headache and
migraine (43 billion). 122 billion euros is accounted for by treatment costs and direct nonmedical costs, respectively, while a further 93 billion euros is attributable to indirect costs
such as sick leave or early retirement.
Neurological disease also has a significant impact in terms of DALYs 3, a measure used to
determine the years lost through disease and premature death. In the EU alone 4, 2.2
million DALYs are attributable to dementia, 1.6 million to strokes, 640,000 to Parkinsons
disease and 260,000 to epilepsy. According to the WHO, worldwide DALYs due to
neurological disease will rise from 95 million in 2015 to 103 million in 2030, an increase of
more than nine percent. Alzheimers and other forms of dementia (up 37 percent), and
cerebrovascular disease (up 13 percent) will be among the main factors behind the
increase.

EAN: major contribution towards research and health care

The European Academy of Neurology is well placed to make a major contribution to highquality neurological health care in Europe, as its President confirmed: This includes
playing a coordinating role in neurological practice, education and training and defining
uniform diagnostic and therapeutic standards for patient care in Europe, as we
increasingly move towards greater harmonisation of the different health care systems.
The EAN also has enormous potential for promoting scientific research in neurology as
well as the neurosciences in general. This is reflected in the broad range of new
discoveries being presented at the EAN Congress.
In the EAN Presidents view, the decision to merge the continents two leading
neurological societies has put European neurology in pole position. Together we are
much better placed to tackle the important tasks ahead of us. We provide a framework
for bringing all neurological subspecialties together under one roof and representing their
common interests. The outcome is that all of the specialists are pulling together in the
same neurological direction.
Sources: BrainFacts.org, Brain Disease in Europe, November 2013; Olesen et al, The economic cost of brain
disorders in Europe. European Journal of Neurology 2012, 19: 155-16; Wittchen et al, The size and burden of
mental disorders and other disorders of the brain in europe 2010. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2011,
21: 655679; Steck et al, The global perspective on neurology training: the World Federation of Neurology
survey. J Neurol Sci 2013, 334(1-2):30-47 ; WHO: Neurological Disorders: Public Health Challenges, Chapter 2,
Global Burden of Neurological Disorders. Estimates and Projections

EAN Press Office

B&K Bettschart&Kofler Kommunikationsberatung
Dr Birgit Kofler
Phone: +43 1 3194378; +49 172 7949286; +43 676 6368930
E-mail: kofler@bkkommunikation.com

Calculation includes EU-27 plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland

Disability adjusted life years: the number of years lost through premature death combined with years of
healthy life lost through poor health or disability
4
EU-27
3