A first-of-its kind report from sheds new light on the impact of neurological conditions on Australians.
New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reveals roughly one in 12 Australians were living with long-term neurological conditions in 2022.
Last week the AIHW released its latest report into neurological conditions in Australia, which combined data on the prevalence, burden of disease, healthcare usage and health system expenditure linked to neurological conditions for the first time.
The report estimated that more than two million Australians were living with a long-term neurological condition in 2022, with approximately three quarters of these – or 1.7 million people – living with migraine.
Females were found to bear the brunt of neurological conditions, being twice as likely as males (11% versus 6.1%) to be living with a neurological condition, with a greater proportion of females found to be living with a long-term neurological condition compared to males in all but one age group – patients aged 0-14 years. This sex difference was primarily driven by migraine, with the condition being twice as prevalent in women as it is in men (9.2% versus 4.1%).
Geographical differences in the distribution of neurological conditions were also observed, with Tasmania having the highest percentage of people living with a neurological condition (12.0%) and the Northern Territory having the lowest percentage 6.1%).
However, the report suggested this discrepancy could be explained by age-related differences between jurisdictions – the Apple Isle had the oldest population in the country at the time of data collection (median age 41.8 years, with 20.9% of the population aged 65 or older) and the top end having the youngest (median age 33.5 years; 9.0% aged 65 or older).
Other conditions included in the report include cerebral palsy, dementia, epilepsy, Guillain-Barré syndrome, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis and myalgicencephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.
Neurological conditions accounted for more than 350,000 hospitalisations and 130,000 ED presentations in 2023-24.
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In addition, 60% of Australians in permanent residential aged care live with a neurological condition that impacts the care they require. Collectively, neurological conditions cost the health system approximately $6.6 billion per year, with dementia ($1.6 billion), epilepsy ($760 million), multiple sclerosis ($675 million) and migraine ($593 million) carrying significant disease-specific costs.
“This report establishes the first reporting system aimed at monitoring neurological conditions in Australia, and is part of the actions undertaken to address the World Health Organization’s intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological conditions,” said AIHW spokesperson Richard Hurley.
“It’s an important step in improving the outcomes for Australians living with neurological conditions, their families and their wider support network.”
The Neurological conditions in Australia report available via the AIHW website.
