Chronic nerve disorder was more common at older ages
Of 1,894 adults aged 50 and older, 6.0% had the disorder at the first screening; follow-up identified 48 new cases.
Our read
Populations- Studied:
- Cohort study of 1,894 middle-aged and older adults, median 7.4 years
- What changed:
- Chronic axonal polyneuropathy was more common at older ages
- The catch:
- Future changes in disease prevalence and incidence were projected, not observed
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Adults aged 50 and older in the Rotterdam Study were screened for chronic axonal polyneuropathy, a long-lasting disorder involving damage to nerve fibers. This prospective observational cohort used symptom questionnaires, neurological examinations and tests of how well nerves carried electrical signals. At baseline, 113 of 1,894 eligible participants had the disorder.
During a median follow-up of 7.4 years, 48 new cases occurred. The rate was 3.8 per 1,000 person-years, a measure combining the number of people and time observed. Both the proportion affected and the rate of new cases increased with age. The researchers found no statistically significant difference between males and females. Projections based on population age distributions suggested the proportion affected would rise by 19–24% and the rate of new cases by 39–52% from 2025 to 2050.
Why it matters
Population aging makes understanding who develops this chronic nerve disorder important for prevention. The authors called for greater clinical awareness and research into its causes to help prevent disease or delay its progression.
Caveats
The cohort included only adults aged 50 and older, so these figures do not describe younger people. The future increases were projections based on population age distributions, not observed changes.
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