NEW YORK, Mar 02 (Reuters Health) -- Although there are new ways of treating
the bone-crushing pain of a migraine, people who suffer from the headaches may
not be reaping the benefits of those advancements, according to a survey from
the National Headache Foundation, a nonprofit group based in Chicago, Illinois.
The majority of people with migraines (80%) reported severe disability and
an inability to control headache pain and related symptoms. In addition, 48% of
those who were diagnosed with migraine by a physician were just as disabled by
headache pain as those with migraines that had never been diagnosed by a doctor.
Both diagnosed and undiagnosed people with migraines reported similar levels of
headache-related symptoms, which include throbbing head pain, sensitivity to
light, and nausea.
The findings were presented recently at the 13th Annual Conference of the
Diamond Headache Clinic Research and Education Foundation in Palm Springs,
California.
Overall, 12% of people had symptoms that met International Headache Society
criteria for migraine, according to the1999 survey, which included more than
13,000 households. The survey was funded by a grant from Glaxo Wellcome, Inc.
Between this survey and a 1989 survey by the National Headache Foundation,
the percentage of migraine sufferers was the same -- about 12% -- but the
incidence of migraine increased from 24 million to 28 million.
Despite the availability of new prescription drugs specifically designed to
treat migraine, 57% of people reported that they used only over-the-counter
medications to treat their headache. This figure was virtually unchanged
compared with the 1989 figure (59%).
In response to the survey data, the National Headache Foundation, along with
professional and consumer groups, is calling for "a renewed commitment to the
diagnosis and treatment of migraine from healthcare professionals and better
education of patients."
"We hope this call to action and coming together of healthcare professionals
from a wide range of disciplines will help us close the gap between the
effective treatments available and the millions who continue to suffer from
migraine," commented Suzanne Simons, the foundation's executive director.
