• links to https://headache-hurts.com
    links to https://headache-hurts.de

    Learn more about us:

  • Preventing Headache

  • & Migraine Attacks

  • At University

Menu Close
The bigger picture

MIGRAINE AND HEADACHE IN ADULTS – A GLOBAL CHALLENGE

Migraine and headache in adults – a global challenge

The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks migraine among the world’s most disabling illnesses. Yet migraine stigma persists. Many people are skeptical about migraine and other headache disorders, which they consider to be “all in your head”, subjective ailments rather than actual clinical entities that can be detected by science. To address the suffering of people with the condition and tackle the crippling global burden of what is a complex clinical entity, there is a huge unmet need for an unbiased, science-led platform.

 

Headache is a global problem

A new review of global headache prevalence shows that more than one in two people globally are affected by migraines or headaches (52%). A limitation is that most of the more than 350 papers included in the review relate to high-income countries. That said, the statistics suggest a global migraine prevalence of 14%. Tension-type headaches affect about 26% of the world population studied. This data is consistent with the latest findings presented in the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study showing that headaches and migraines are by no means imaginary ailments that society should ignore. In light of this latest data, it is reasonable to assume that nearly 16% of people on the planet suffer from headaches on any given day.

 

Significant gender gap

A recent paper by Swiss researchers investigating the gender distribution of migraine and tension headache found significant differences between male and female sufferers – not only in prevalence, but also in terms of comorbidities, disease co-factors and response to treatment. Migraine is significantly more common in women, the research says. Female sufferers are badly affected by the knock-on effects, too. Very commonly, female patients withdraw from society and do not feel that their suffering is taken seriously. In fact, almost 40% of women with the condition avoid telling other people about their headaches. Female migraine patients are also more likely to experience anxiety or depression between attacks. Moreover, women have a consistently higher pain burden than male patients. Similar results have not been uncovered for tension headache.

Migraine often goes undetected in men

Women who see a doctor about migraine symptoms are much more likely than men to be diagnosed correctly with migraine. The authors of the study believe this may be due to the (false) assumption that migraine is a typical "women's disease".

 

Young adults

Health data from more than 50,000 young people analyzed and compared over a period of approximately ten years indicates that the period of transition from adolescence to adulthood presents unique challenges for migraine sufferers. Subjects diagnosed with migraine were two times more likely to develop additional affective or mood disorders in adulthood than subjects in the migraine-free control group. Similarly disturbing findings were made with respect to behavioral disorders and general stress-related susceptibility to illness. The authors urge that these interrelationships should be given greater consideration in the medical management of these patients.

 

Prevention and treatment without pharmaceuticals

Although many studies show that preventive behavioral interventions can be very effective in addressing headache disorders and migraine, patients and healthcare professionals don’t know enough about these options. In a survey of US primary care physicians, one-third of respondents were unaware that the institution responsible for developing guidelines for the prevention and treatment of headache (the American Academy of Neurology) had issued evidence-based guidelines on non-pharmacological treatment methods. Many were equally unfamiliar with the American Headache Society's training materials for clinicians on individual behavioral approaches to headache management.

 

Education and awareness are fundamental

The best thing about behavioral prevention is that education – health literacy – is all you need to implement it effectively and make a lasting impact on people’s lives. If we can improve health literacy to a level where healthcare professionals and patients are making full use of the spectrum of behavior-based migraine and headache prevention strategies, we can prevent a great deal of suffering. Not just the actual physical pain, but the crippling impact on people’s lives. The other beautiful thing is that prevention hinges far less on the resources of national healthcare systems or individual socioeconomic status – paving the way for a truly global approach to the global plague of headache and migraine.

 

  • Caponnetto V, Deodato M, Robotti M, Koutsokera M, Pozzilli V, Galati C, Nocera G, De Matteis E, De Vanna G, Fellini E, Halili G, Martinelli D, Nalli G, Serratore S, Tramacere I, Martelletti P, Raggi A; European Headache Federation School of Advanced Studies (EHF-SAS). Comorbidities of primary headache disorders: a literature review with meta-analysis. J Headache Pain. 2021 Jul 14;22(1):71. doi: 10.1186/s10194-021-01281-z.

    GBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators. Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2020 Oct 17;396(10258):1204-1222. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30925-9. Erratum in: Lancet. 2020 Nov 14;396(10262):1562.

    Gerstl L, Tadych N, Heinen F, Kainz C, Bonfert MV, Hannibal I, Huss K, Ruscheweyh R, Straube A, Obermeier V, von Kries R, Landgraf MN. Migraine and the development of additional psychiatric and pain disorders in the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Cephalalgia. 2021 Nov;41(13):1342-1347. doi: 10.1177/03331024211021792. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

    Langenbahn D, Matsuzawa Y, Lee YSC, Fraser F, Penzien DB, Simon NM, Lipton RB, Minen MT. Underuse of Behavioral Treatments for Headache: a Narrative Review Examining Societal and Cultural Factors. J Gen Intern Med. 2021 Oct;36(10):3103-3112. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06539-x. Epub 2021 Feb 1.

    Neumeier MS, Pohl H, Sandor PS, Gut H, Merki-Feld GS, Andrée C. Dealing with Headache: Sex Differences in the Burden of Migraine- and Tension-Type Headache. Brain Sci. 2021 Oct 5;11(10):1323. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11101323.

    Steiner TJ, Stovner LJ, Vos T, Jensen R, Katsarava Z. Migraine is first cause of disability in under 50s: will health politicians now take notice? J Headache Pain. 2018 Feb 21;19(1):17. doi: 10.1186/s10194-018-0846-2. 2021 Jul 25.

    Stovner LJ, Hagen K, Linde M, Steiner TJ. The global prevalence of headache: an update, with analysis of the influences of methodological factors on prevalence estimates. J Headache Pain. 2022 Apr 12;23(1):34. doi: 10.1186/s10194-022-01402-2.

    close

Zurück

NOCH MEHR:

LATEST
ARTICLES

DIE NEUSTEN
INFORMATIONEN

Deep Dive

The human brain needs a consistent supply of energy to work properly. Its primary fuel is glucose. Since the central nervous system lacks its own energy stores, the brain relies on a steady supply of
Current Research

How caffeine and headaches interact is among the most common questions asked in the headache community. It’s worth taking a look at the latest research findings and asking what they mean for headache
Deep Dive

Up to ten percent of people with migraine experience the phenomenon known as “aura”. The ancient Greeks used this term to describe a cool breath of air. Today, it is used in medicine to mean the
Deep Dive

Our perception of the world relies on a complex interaction between our brain and our sensory organs. Sensory stimuli that we receive through our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin are converted into
The bigger picture

People with headaches and migraines often feel that their suffering is not taken seriously. Because their pain is not visible to those around them, it’s easy for others to dismiss it as minor or even
Deep Dive

Our bodies are engaged in countless processes around the clock. Most of these happen without us consciously initiating them, and many go completely unnoticed. We breathe in and out all day long
Deep Dive

Headaches affect almost everyone. With their widespread prevalence comes a remarkable array of myths surrounding their causes. Let’s delve into some “classic” headache myths and see if there’s any
Deep Dive

Headaches affect almost everyone. With their widespread prevalence comes a remarkable array of myths surrounding their causes. Let’s delve into some “classic” headache myths and see if there’s any
The bigger picture

Presenteeism in the narrower sense used in this article means when employees show up for work despite being ill. How widespread is this phenomenon? Why do people choose work over rest and recovery?
The bigger picture

Many people believe their headaches are directly related to the weather. We explored the connections in a previous article. The verdict: the science so far has not uncovered any mechanisms that would
Deep Dive

Developed by American doctor and psychologist Edmund Jacobson, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a valuable tool for headache sufferers. As described previously in this article, numerous studies
Deep Dive

How do migraine headaches feel? Are they the same for everyone affected by them? How severe is my pain and how much does it limit me?

People who want to measure pain are faced with a significant
Headaches as a symptom of long COVID

“The coronavirus pandemic is over!” As these words were pronounced a good two years after the outbreak of a hitherto unknown viral infection, which had the whole world paralysed for a long time, there
DEEP DIVE

The medication-overuse headache (referred to hereafter as MOH) has been well-known for a relatively long time. It was first described as an independent phenomenon in 1951. According to its definition,
PREVENTION IN PRACTICE

Studying was badly affected by the coronavirus crisis. Many new students were caught unawares by the suspension of in-person events and could not enjoy lectures and classes in a familiar environment
Prevention in Practice

For many of us, the summer holidays are the best time of year. We have put together several tips in this article on how to achieve real relaxation – regardless of whether you want to take some time
DEEP DIVE

The fact that stress is a key factor in the development of migraine attacks is undisputed and repeatedly backed up by research. In practice, it is clear that people with migraine who succeed in
THE BIGGER PICTURE

Our genes are subject to the laws of evolution. Since the beginnings of humanity, they have undergone constant change, and still do to this day. We know that the course of evolution intends for traits
The bigger picture

We all know about pain. Pain is an important mode of communication between us and our organism. Contrary to what has long been assumed, it seems that there are differences between men and women when
DEEP DIVE

In our last article, we presented several explanatory approaches to the connection between blood pressure and headaches. In this continuation, we will be explaining a further, much-discussed
DEEP DIVE

The question of how headaches and high blood pressure relate to each other has a long tradition in medical research. Even today, the results in this field are very inconsistent and continue to give
Living with Tension-Type Headache

If you sleep badly, you have a higher risk of getting headaches. At the same time, headaches often bring about sleeping problems. It is undisputed that both headaches and bad sleep influence each
The bigger picture

The World Health Organisation (WHO) counts migraine as one of the most severely disabling illnesses affecting humanity; in general, headache disorders are a great burden to those affected by them. In
PREVENTION IN PRACTICE

Stress is an undisputed factor in the development of headaches and migraine. Relaxing and calming measures are important pillars of migraine and headache prevention, and current research supports this
DEEP DIVE

The fact that wearing face masks can effectively prevent getting infected with the coronavirus, is now adequately proven. Covid face masks therefore belong to the repertoire of measures we are
DEEP DIVE

Migraine is a neurological disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Centuries-worth of research into this complex clinical entity is continuing to give birth to new hypotheses. The last few
Prevention in Practice

Holistic management of migraine and other types of headache now offers a treatment arsenal that is about much more than medication alone. In fact, it embraces many elements of behavioral therapy.
The bigger picture

In a world full of sensory overload, silence is something many people only know from hearsay. This article looks at why unplugging from environmental noise is good medicine for headaches and migraine
Prevention in Practice

The classic advice from experts in headache prevention is to drink regularly. Boozing every night? Well, no. They mean staying hydrated and giving your body the fluids it needs. Specialists recommend
DEEP DIVE

The brains of people with migraine have a special way of processing sensory input. Headache research suggests that a migraine brain responds to incoming stimuli sooner and faster than a non-migraine
Living with Migraine

The diet-headache connection is one of the hottest of topics for patients and experts alike. Migraine sufferers often see a direct link between how and what they eat and a migraine attack. This
Give yourself a break

Studies show that headache disorders take a heavy toll on student productivity and performance. Nearly one in three sufferers reported 'severe disability' (the highest severity level) using the MIDAS
The bigger picture

Humans are hard-wired to follow a routine. Your natural 24-hour cycle (circadian rhythm) governs many of the physiological processes in your body, including brain activity, blood pressure, hormones
DEEP DIVE

Paradoxical but true: medications you take for headache relief can themselves trigger headaches. A nervous system control mechanism is behind this phenomenon. Taking painkillers regularly and for a
Living with Migraine

Many people with a migraine will try to get out of the light. Often they have no choice but to go into a dark room and wait for the attack to end. Increased sensitivity to light is common in people
Current Research

All the statistics show that migraine affects women more than men, but experts disagree on what causes this gender gap. The role of sex hormones as migraine triggers is a hot research topic these
Digital stress and its consequences

Digital stress (or technostress) is a burgeoning area of interest in medical and social science research. How does it affect us to be surrounded by digital media in almost every area of our lives?
Prevention in Practice

Congratulations, you made it through another digital semester of online lectures, studying alone on your laptop, the final push to pass your exams. Semester break is here and you so deserve it. As the
Prevention in Practice

Where would we be without our smartphones? Life these days is hard to imagine without a phone to plan the day, find information we need right this second, keep up with hobbies or just to pass the
The bigger picture

Rarely has a saying been more apt than now. Covid is a headache on so many levels. The contact restrictions are causing profound distress. Fear and uncertainty are everywhere. Will it ever go away?
The bigger picture

Do short, gray, sunless winter days get you down? You’re not alone. The science is clear: daylight-deprived winter days affect our mood. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors would say it’s time to retreat
Current Research

Everyone has a different noise tolerance level. One person’s “barely noticeable” is another’s “unbearable”. Many people find it especially hard to be around those everyday sounds we hear all the time.
Prevention in Practice

The most strenuous events are not usually distributed evenly across the week. Monday mornings (that notorious 8. a.m. lecture...) can frazzle your nerves and set the week off to a highly stressful
DEEP DIVE

Vertigo (spinning dizziness) in migraine has only recently gained traction as a research topic. The science on migraine-related vertigo is unclear. One study found that only 10% of people are
Current Research

Coffee ranks high on the headache triggers list. The ingredient that gives you the buzz – caffeine – is one of the best-loved psychostimulants (uppers) ever. As a pick-me-up at work or just to hang
Prevention in Practice

In a 2018 study by Turner and Houle, headache patients were asked what factors commonly trigger their pain. Three-quarters said stress was the main trigger, closely followed by "irregular meals" and
The bigger picture

Teeth grinding (bruxism) has been commonly linked to headache. Bruxism is not a niche phenomenon. One in five female college students and one-tenth of their male peers are aware that they clench or
The bigger picture

The exercise-headache connection continues to vex scientists. Conducting genuine evidence-based science is hard because, first, the research conditions are difficult to standardize; second, many of
Living with Migraine

Migraine is not an allergic disorder, but migraine is more common in people with allergies. Doctors noticed the link more than a century ago. Individual case reports dating mainly from the first half
The bigger picture

The "HEADACHE HURTS" campaign taught us that (especially if you have migraine) about 7 hours of regular, undisturbed sleep is a great way to stop horrible headache attacks or at least not provoke them
Prevention in Practice

Headaches make it harder to think, reason and remember – so when you need to be on top of your game, pampering your brain is crucial. Proactive headache prevention is essential, because you need to be
The bigger picture

The impact of weather on wellbeing features regularly on just about every media channel you could name. With so many people reporting that changes in the weather trigger a migraine or tension-type
DEEP DIVE

Your brain produces large amounts of waste products (cellular detritus; remnants of dead cells, proteins and much more) that need to be cleared away to keep your brain healthy.

One example of harmful
Prevention in Practice

Careful nutrition can help prevent headaches. But careful nutrition doesn’t just mean what you eat, but when and how. Migraine patients benefit from a regular daily routine that is less likely to
DEEP DIVE

The term “stress” as used today was coined by Hans Selye, a Hungarian-Canadian clinician who defined it as "the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change". Selye once called stress