Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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Brain disease psychiatric and neurologic disease combined represents a considerable social and economic burden in Europe. Data collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest that brain diseases are responsible for 35% of Europe's total disease burden. An analysis of all health economic studies of brain diseases in Europe, published by the European Brain Council (EBC) in June 2005, estimated the total cost of brain disease in Europe in 2004 to be Euro 386 billion. ⋯ In general, increasing funding in the brain sciences would bring enormous economic returns by lightening the burden on healthcare systems and increasing the productivity of affected individuals-and might easily pay for itself. The human and social returns of such an investment are inestimable. And the time to act is now.
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Three polyneuropathy scores are described, which seem to be valid and sensible measures to score dysfunction and disability in patients with generalised motor neuropathies
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 2006
A modified peripheral neuropathy scale: the Overall Neuropathy Limitations Scale.
A new peripheral neuropathy activities measure, the Overall Neuropathy Limitations Scale (ONLS), was derived by modifying the Overall Disability Sum Score (ODSS) slightly. Its inter-rater reliability was found to be high and its correlation with the ODSS (r = 0.97), 36-item Short Form Questionnaire Physical Component Summary Score, and participation and impairment measures was significant. ⋯ The results obtained from the questionnaire agreed closely with those obtained from observation of the tasks on the ONLS, but were not equivalent. The simplicity of the ODSS is shared by the ONLS, but the ONLS has better content validity and less ceiling effect, which may make it more useful for clinical practice and research.