According to statistics, 56 million people die every year in the world. This means that every day people say goodbye forever to 153 thousand men and women. These are scary numbers, but such is life – many people die in accidents and even more due to disease. Coronary heart disease has remained one of the leading causes of death for many years. This is the name for a condition in which the heart stops receiving enough oxygen and nutrients due to blockage of the arteries. Also, a huge number of people die due to the consequences of stroke, lung diseases, respiratory tract infections and so on. Recently, scientists studied mortality data and found thatHeart problems are no longer the main factor shortening people's life expectancy.Most often, people die faster due todiseases associated with problems of the nervous system.
Neurological conditions most strongly shorten people's life expectancy
Diseases with the most serious consequences
According to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet, problems related to the nervous system lead to a reduction in life expectancy more often than problems in the functioning of the heart and blood vessels. An analysis of large amounts of data has shown that 3.4 billion people will experience stroke, dementia, epilepsy and other neurological conditions in 2021. This is a huge number because we are talking about 43% of the world's population .
As part of the study, scientists studied decades of data
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Deadly brain diseases
Most often and most dramatically, people's lives in the modern world are shortened by stroke. It was previously considered a heart disease, but is now an official brain disease. During a stroke, a person's brain stops receiving enough oxygen due to a blocked or torn artery. This leads to the fact that brain cells begin to die, and the person becomes paralyzed, loses the ability to speak, and so on – it all depends on which area of the brain is damaged.
Stroke affects the brain, not the heart – everyone should know this
The second most common the culprit for shortening people's lives isneonatal encephalopathyIt occurs immediately after the birth of a child – in this condition, the baby’s brain also does not receive enough oxygen. If measures are not taken, the child may have problems with movement and thinking.
Neonatal encephalopathy can lead to the death of a child
Also, the lives of millions of people are shortened due to < strong>Dementiawhich results in the inability to think and remember information due to brain damage. Indiabeteshigh blood sugar levels damage all the nerves in the body. Meningitisis also a serious and deadly problem of the nervous system because it is an inflammation of the lining of the brain caused by infection.
Notably, dementia was rarely diagnosed among the ancient Greeks and Romans
It is important to note that neurological conditions only lead in terms of reduction life expectancy. When it comes to causes of death, cardiovascular diseases are still number one. According to the study, 11 million people died from stroke and otherbrain problems in 2021.Ischemic disease and otherMany more people died from heart problems—an estimated 19.8 million.
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Diseases that cannot be treated
According to the authors of the scientific work, most neurological problems cannot be treated. For example, a person can survive a stroke, but it is highly likely that he will not be able to move or speak independently – people fully recover only if they receive timely medical care.
Nerve damage caused by diabetes is also not treatable. In addition, this problem is becoming more common because more and more people are being diagnosed with diabetes. In 1980, the number of people with this diagnosis was108 million. In 2014, this number increased to 422 million. In 2021, the number of diabetics increased to 529 million.Diabetes is projected to affect 1.5 billion men and women by 2050.
Unfortunately, medicine is still not able to treat many diseases
Scientists once again reminded that to maintain health, every person needs to eat right and be as active as possible. For example, they recommended eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins to ensure your brain gets all the nutrients it needs. It is also necessary to reduce the consumption of alcohol and other substances that negatively affect the nervous system.
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