Neurology-Related Deaths a “Cause for Concern”

Modern living could be responsible for an unprecedented increase in worldwide cases of neurological brain diseases.  Colin Pritchard, from Bournemouth University (United Kingdom), and colleagues compared 21 Western countries between 1989 and 2010 and found that dementias are starting a decade earlier than they used to in adults.  Furthermore deaths caused by neurological disease have risen significantly in adults ages 55 to 74 years, and for adults ages 75+ the rate has virtually doubled in every Western country in just the last 20 years.  The team notes that in the US, neurological deaths in male over 75s have nearly trebled and females rose more than five-fold.  For the first time since records began, more elderly US women died of brain disease than cancer. The study authors warn that: “Every country's neurological deaths rose relative to the controls, especially in the USA, which is a cause for concern and suggests possible environmental influences.”