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Not only are CNS disorders a major killer (stroke is the third most
common cause of death after heart disease and cancer), but they
represent the leading cause of disablement - at any given time 1.5
billion people worldwide are suffering from some type of disorder of
the brain or spinal cord. This places a substantial economic burden on
society through loss of working time and the associated cost of care.
The burden of care is particularly acute for patients who suffer brain
cell loss through injury (e.g. severe head injury) or disease (e.g.
stroke, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease) and then endure
many years of neurological disablement. This burden of care is set to
increase substantially in the years ahead because of a combination of
reasons:
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- People are living longer. Since 1948, life expectancy has risen in
both men (65 to 75) and women (70 to 80). This has lead to a
corresponding increase in the number of centarians in the UK. Thus,
when the Queen ascended the throne in 1952, 50 years later she sent out
270 telegrams, 50 years later it was 6000.
- The post WW2 baby-boomers generation begins to reach age 65 at the
end of this decade which will cause a steady and substantial increase
in the proportion of elderly in the population. Thus in the UK the
number of pensioners will increase from 10.8 million in 2000 to 16
million in 2040.
- The incidence of many brain disorders (such as stroke, Alzheimer's
disease and Parkinson's disease) increase in incidence exponentially
after age 65. It has been estimated that nearly half of those over 85
years will have Alzheimer's disease.
Pharmidex review
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