Diseases that affect the brain and nervous system are far more common than many people realize. A new large study has found that more than half of people living in the United States have at least one condition that affects the brain, spinal cord, or nerves.
The research was carried out by scientists from the American Academy of Neurology and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Their findings were published in the medical journal JAMA Neurology.
The results highlight how widespread neurological conditions are and why protecting brain health is becoming increasingly important.
The nervous system is the body’s communication network. It includes the brain, the spinal cord, and the many nerves that run throughout the body. This system controls almost everything we do.
It helps us move our muscles, think clearly, remember information, feel emotions, and sense the world around us. Because the nervous system is involved in so many functions, problems with it can affect many parts of everyday life.
When the nervous system is damaged or does not work properly, people may experience a wide range of symptoms. These can include headaches, memory problems, pain, trouble moving, or difficulty with thinking and emotions. Some conditions begin early in life, while others develop later as people grow older.
To understand how common these disorders are, researchers examined information from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study. This is one of the largest international health research projects in the world. It collects and analyzes health data from many countries in order to measure how different diseases affect populations.
More than 17,000 researchers and health experts from 167 countries contributed to the Global Burden of Disease project. Using this huge amount of data, scientists studied 36 different medical conditions that affect the nervous system.
The results showed that over 180 million people in the United States are living with at least one neurological condition. This means about 54 percent of the U.S. population has some type of disorder affecting the brain or nerves.
The study included a wide range of conditions. Some start in childhood, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and certain birth defects that affect brain development. Others appear later in life, including diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
However, the most common neurological problems in the United States are actually headaches. Tension headaches were the most frequent condition, affecting about 122 million Americans. Migraines were also very common and were estimated to affect around 58 million people.
Another major condition identified in the study was diabetic nerve damage, also called diabetic neuropathy. This problem occurs when high blood sugar levels damage nerves over time. It affects about 17 million people in the United States and can cause pain, numbness, or weakness, often in the feet and legs.
Although some neurological conditions may not be life-threatening, many of them can still reduce a person’s quality of life. They can make daily tasks harder and sometimes lead to long-term disability.
Dr. John Ney from Yale University, one of the researchers involved in the study, explained that keeping the brain, spine, and nerves healthy is essential for people to stay active in their daily lives. Good neurological health helps people work, maintain relationships, and enjoy everyday activities.
The researchers also compared the United States with the rest of the world. Globally, about 43 percent of people are estimated to live with a neurological condition. In comparison, the rate in the United States is higher at 54 percent.
One reason for this difference is that headache disorders are especially common in the United States. While these headaches do not usually cause severe disability, they still affect millions of people and can interfere with work, school, and daily routines.
Despite the high number of neurological conditions, the study also found some encouraging trends. The United States has made progress in reducing deaths and serious complications from several brain and nerve diseases.
For example, stroke remains a major health problem, but improvements in medical care have helped lower the number of people who die from it. Faster treatment, better prevention, and improved rehabilitation have all played a role in saving lives.
To measure the overall impact of these conditions, researchers used a health measure known as disability-adjusted life years, often called DALYs. This measure looks at both years of life lost due to early death and years lived with disability.
The conditions responsible for the greatest loss of healthy life were stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, diabetic nerve damage, and migraine headaches.
The study also found that deaths from neurological conditions decreased by about 15 percent between 1990 and 2021. However, the number of years people live with these conditions increased by about 10 percent. This means that more people are surviving but living longer with neurological health problems.
A major reason for this trend is the aging population. As people live longer, they are more likely to develop diseases that affect the brain and nerves. Conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease become more common as people age.
The researchers noted that the study did not include some diseases that affect many body systems, such as HIV, because it was difficult to separate their effects on the nervous system from their effects on the rest of the body.
Overall, the findings show that neurological conditions are a major part of public health in the United States. The researchers say more work is needed to improve early diagnosis, expand access to treatment, and invest in research to better understand these diseases.
By focusing on brain health and improving care, experts believe millions of people could enjoy better health and maintain a higher quality of life as they age.
If you care about stroke, please read studies about how to eat to prevent stroke, and diets high in flavonoids could help reduce stroke risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and wild blueberries can benefit your heart and brain.
Copyright © 2026 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
