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Introduction to Migraine Headache
Facts about Migraine Headache
- In Western countries, migraine headache is estimated to affect 12% of the general population. Migraine is most common in North and South America, less so in Europe and Africa, with the lowest rate in Asia.
- Women suffer from migraines approximately 3 times as often as men - 18% of women vs. 6% of men.
- Prevalence of migraine in the United States has remained stable at approximately 11% over the past five years. It is estimated that migraine headache affects at least one person in every four households.
- Approximately 30 million people in the United States suffer from migraine headaches. The prevalence of migraine headaches is greater than that of asthma and diabetes combined.
- The majority of headache sufferers who consult their primary care physicians have migraine headaches, yet they are usually misdiagnosed and undertreated.
- It is estimated that only 40% of migraineurs use prescription drugs for their headaches.
- Migraine headache places an enormous burden on the individual who is suffering, their family, and society in terms of lost days of work or school, impact on functioning in the family unit, lost productivity, absenteeism, and elevated health care costs.
- It is estimated that the annual cost of lost productivity and absenteeism from migraine headache in the US is $13 billion and the cost of caring for people suffering from migraine is approximately $1 billion.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) considers migraine to be one of the 20 most disabling diseases worldwide.
