Research and clinical context on Neurodegenerative diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases are a major challenge for our society, either for the patients and their relatives, for our medical system and researches as well as for our socio-economic system. In France, the “neurodegenerative Disease plan 2014-2019” has reporter more than 850,000 patients over 65 years-old suffering from Alzheimer disease, 150,000 patients suffering from Parkinson disease and more than 85,000 patients suffering from multiple sclerosis. Due to the lifespan increase, this situation will worsen in the next years with a prevalence of dementia doubling during the coming next 20 years (The global impact of dementia – World Alzheimer Report 2015), with a new patient detected every 3.2 second according to the World Health Organization.
Financial costs are split into direct medical costs (20%), direct medico-social costs (specialized care at home, specialized home for dependent person: 40%) and informal care costs (delivered by family caregivers: 40%). Those costs have increased by 35% in 5 years and represent 1% of global GDP.
This is the reason why prevention and efficient treatment of those diseases are major stakes, justifying research investments combining teams from all specialities (clinical, SHS, basic research…) working on the field as some mechanisms are common between diseases, and between countries.
