Most Poles know that stroke and brain tumor are diseases of this organ. Few are aware that brain diseases also include migraine, depression, and dementia. Some brain diseases are preventable.
Only 20 percent. Poles assess their knowledge of brain diseases as good or very good.
Meanwhile, the European Brain Council reports that every third European is or will be affected by a brain disease. According to the WHO, by 2030, brain diseases will become the greatest health threat leading to disability or death. Depression ranks first in this bleak ranking. Brain diseases are known as the ticking bomb of the health sector.
According to official estimates of the European Brain Council, in 2005 there were approximately 127 million patients with brain diseases in Europe. In 2010, their number increased to 299 million people treated for only 12 brain diseases, including depression, multiple sclerosis, stroke, migraine and Alzheimer’s disease.
What destroys the brain?
It would seem that the recorded and expected future increase in the number of brain diseases is a consequence of aging societies: the brain simply wears out with age. But old age does not explain the increase in brain disease; civilization changes are also the culprit. Stress, the imbalance between work and rest, unhealthy lifestyle make mental and neurological disorders appear in younger and younger patients and affect more and more older adults.
How to support your brain?
Poles are not aware of the fact that many brain diseases can be prevented. The research on knowledge about brain diseases conducted in 2017 among Poles by Kantar Public at the request of the NeuroPozytywni Foundation shows that nearly one fifth of Poles believe that there is no such possibility to effectively prevent brain diseases. Nothing could be more wrong.