The Netherlands: Health : One in four people in the Netherlands is affected by a brain condition - says study

As many as one person in four has some form of brain condition, but many cases go undetected because people do not seek medical help, according to the public health agency RIVM. A new study found that 3.8 million people are registered with their family doctor with a brain disorder. Half have a psychological condition such as depression or anxiety, while 1.3 million suffer from chronic illnesses such as dementia or Parkinson’s disease. Sleep disorders, which affect around half a million people, brain injuries and inherited problems such as learning difficulties are also classed as brain disorders in the study carried out on behalf of the Netherlands Brain Foundation (NBF). Women are more likely to have a diagnosed brain disorder than men, with around 2.1 million cases in women. However, the RIVM said the actual figures are likely to be much higher because many people do not seek medical treatment. The total cost of treating brain conditions is around €25 billion a year, which represents more than a quarter of all health spending in the Netherlands. The NBF said it had commissioned the study to highlight the fact that many disorders are invisible. ‘The next step is to tackle the issue through research, but also by improving treatment for patients in the hope that it will drive the costs down,’ said neuroscientist Laura Rigter.

Read more at DutchNews.nl: One in four people in the Netherlands is affected by a brain condition – study https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/11/one-in-four-people-in-the-netherlands-is-affected-by-a-brain-condition-study/

As many as one person in four has some form of brain condition, but many cases go undetected because people do not seek medical help, according to the public health agency RIVM.

A new study found that 3.8 million people are registered with their family doctor with a brain disorder.

Half have a psychological condition such as depression or anxiety, while 1.3 million suffer from chronic illnesses such as dementia or Parkinson’s disease. Sleep disorders, which affect around half a million people, brain injuries and inherited problems such as learning difficulties are also classed as brain disorders in the study carried out on behalf of the Netherlands Brain Foundation (NBF).

Women are more likely to have a diagnosed brain disorder than men, with around 2.1 million cases in women. However, the RIVM said the actual figures are likely to be much higher because many people do not seek medical treatment.

The total cost of treating brain conditions is around €25 billion a year, which represents more than a quarter of all health spending in the Netherlands. The NBF said it had commissioned the study to highlight the fact that many disorders are invisible.

‘The next step is to tackle the issue through research, but also by improving treatment for patients in the hope that it will drive the costs down,’ said neuroscientist Laura Rigter.

Read more: One in four people in the Netherlands is affected by a brain condition - study - DutchNews.nl

European Health Care Systems: Mistrust puts pharmaceutical industry in the spotlight

The European healthcare system is struggling to cope with low levels of transparency and trust in the pharmaceutical sector, according to 97% of doctors, industry professionals and policymakers attending a workshop at the Gastein Health Forum yesterday (4 October).

"North Korea would be proud of you!" said workshop moderator John Bowis, a former MEP and president of stakeholder group Health First Europe, after conducting the straw poll in a session addressing transparency between the public, health professionals and industry in the Austrian resort.
Thomas Heynisch, an official with the EU executive's enterprise department, told delegates that the Commission would publish new corporate social responsibility guidelines in early 2013 to tackle issues of trust and ethics in the pharmaceutical sector, and access to medicines in Europe.

This was prompted because the EU executive believed there was "a level of mistrust, particularly between public authorities and the pharma industry. "The Commission wants to move beyond codes of conduct, but not to introduce new legislation, rather we want guiding principles which can be a source of inspiration for those working within and beyond the pharma industry," Heynisch said, explaining that enforcement of the new guidelines will be carried out at national level.

Read more: Mistrust puts pharmaceutical industry in the spotlight | EurActiv