Neurological conditions such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease cost Canada nearly $9 billion a year, say neurologists, who warn that the health-care system may not be able to handle the increased burden of an aging population.

Early diagnosis of neurological diseases will help reduce long-term costs, says Dr. Charles Tator.
(CBC)

Friday's report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, titled The Burden of Neurological Diseases, Disorders and Injuries in Canada, is a consensus report by neurologists who tallied the costs of 11 conditions they treat:

• Alzheimer's disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)
• Brain tumours
• Cerebral palsy
• Epilepsy
• Head injury
• Headaches
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson's disease
• Spinal injuries
• Stroke

The conditions represent almost seven per cent of the total attributable cost of illness in Canada in 2000-01, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Stroke Guide for Caregivers

Stroke Recovery Canada has produced a guide to help stroke survivors and their caregivers and families reclaim as much of their lives and independence as possible.

More than half of the estimated 40,000 to 50,000 Canadians who will have a stroke this year will return home and need some help to perform basic functions.

The guide provides information on: Personal stories of caregivers Overcoming depression for patients and caregivers Motivation Intimacy Treatment options Reducing spasticity — muscles involuntarily seizing up by contracting and becoming tense when they shouldn't, resulting in stiffness, rigidity and muscle pain that makes it difficult to perform activities of daily life Physical and occupational therapy to help improve mobility and reduce spasticity and find solutions for daily living Nutrition

Stroke accounts for 29 per cent of the $8.8 billion in direct costs from neurological conditions, followed by Alzheimer's at 19 per cent, then migraine and cluster headaches at close to 18 per cent. The costs were calculated for rehabilitation, drugs and lost productivity, according to the report. 

More emphasis should be placed on providing support for patients with chronic, disabling neurological diseases and for their caregivers, said Dr. Garth Bray, vice-president of the Canadian Neurological Science Foundation.

The neurologists called for new priorities in health care, saying billions could be saved through earlier diagnoses, stroke prevention programs and Alzheimer's research.

"Early diagnosis will lead to reduction of disability and reduction of long-term costs," said Dr. Charles Tator, who heads the Canadian Brain & Nerve Health Coalition in Edmonton.

Missy Mandel of Toronto is a case in point. Five years ago, at age 36, Mandel had to give up her job teaching elementary school after a tumour was found on her spine at the base of her brain. It could have led to paralysis from the neck down.

An MRI helped to detect a tumour on Missy Mandel's spine.
(CBC)

"The first thing I thought about was, who was going to walk my kids to school, who was going to get up and prepare their breakfast?" Mandel recalled.

Mandel now walks dogs for a living. She was diagnosed early, so the long-term damage was far less than it is for many others.

Mandel said she sees the financial burden that neurological conditions place on the health-care system, patients and families who cannot afford medication or proper treatment.

While her life has changed, Mandel said she is far better off than she would have been had she not been diagnosed early. She could have been paralyzed and on a respirator for the rest of her life.