European year of the brain 2014-a new impulse to strengthen the alliance for brain health

摘要

Year of the Brain in Europe 2014 is important and timely because across the region we have an ageing population that is increasingly in need of effective care and therapies. But 2014 is also an occasion to celebrate the work of both clinicians and the pharmaceutical industry for providing a standard of healthcare that enables people to lead a good life. In the UK a century ago, a man's life expectancy was just 42 years of age. This has now risen to 78, and in Japan, a little girl born today has a 50-50 chance of living to be 100 years old. However, in the wake of these achievements come big challenges and one of these is that the longer we live, the greater the number of chronic illnesses and brain diseases we will experience. Brain diseases including stroke, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease cause terrible distress if poorly managed, and can represent a considerable and expensive burden for the healthcare systems.