Climate change: neurological diseases and mental health

Abstract

Global warming from greenhouse effect significantly worsens health status in all levels from its direct and indirecteffect. This change also affects neurological diseases. The important groups are cerebrovascular disease, central nervoussystem infection, neurodegenerative disease, mental health and stress-related disorders. Air pollution and rising temperatureare associated with many types of stroke. Central nervous system infection, especially encephalitis, becomes epidemicdue to changes in infectious agents and their vectors. Exposure to toxic agents from environment also plays a role inpathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Regarding mental health,the conditions may range from simple stress to severe psychiatric illness. The examples of measures to alleviate theproblems are reducing energy consumption from fossil fuel, reducing air pollution and controlling the use of chemicals.Physician should play more roles in monitoring and responding to this change at the level of individual, profession and policy.