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
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s 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 society’s 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 Parkinson’s 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, that’s 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 EU’s
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 longtermcare. And the cost of neurological disease is 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).
1 Calculation includes EU-27 plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland
2 Calculation includes EU-27 plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland
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1 S T CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY
Berlin, Germany, June 20 -23, 2015
122 billion euros is accounted for by treatment costs and direct non-medical 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 DALYs3, a measure used to determine the years
lost through disease and premature death. In the EU alone4, 2.2 million DALYs are attributable to dementia, 1.6
million to strokes, 640,000 to Parkinson’s 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. Alzheimer’s 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 high-quality 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 President’s view, the decision to merge the continent’s 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: 655–679; 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
3 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
2