India's Hidden Epidemic: Neurological Disabilities

Bangalore: India's hidden epidemic - neurological disabilities strike 3.5 million people each year. In India there are 7 cases every minute, that leave people unable to function on their own, or walk, in case of spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries, said the Kessler Foundation.

AIIMS Neurologist Dr Manjari Tripathi said "Neurological disability is a huge disability. The person can't eat on his own; he can't wear his own clothes. There is depression, there is psychosis, there is cognition involvement, they cannot remember, think, plan, perform," as reported by Shalini for CNN-IBN.

It was noted that stroke leads to half a million new cases every year, has now increased twofold in the past 4 decades, while age-related dementia with 1.6 million new cases every year is expected to triple in by 2050.

Further, the biggest cause, traumatic brain injury, primarily caused from road accidents, adds 1.7 million cases every year. An enormous 60-70 percent of these cases are due to road traffic accidents.

AIIMS Neurosurgeon Dr Sarat Chandra said "Close to 1 million patients will lose out because of head injuries. The biggest need of the hour is to have a strong and efficient paramedic team. It does not take a lot of time to train. We need to develop very good life support systems which can reach the patient at the sites," reported CNN-IBN.

Further, Dr Manjari Tripathi informed that "The childhood infections that can lead to permanent brain damage are meningitis, which is very common, encephalitis, we have outbreaks of encephalitis. During birth if there is lack of oxygen to the brain, it can cause permanent brain damage. Seizures and epilepsy which occur in this age group can cause brain damage."

It was projected that 70 to 80 percent of people who need treatment don't get it, although the new disability draft law has a few provisions.

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