Migraine is a neurological disease characterized by recurrent headaches that are moderate to severe. The headache affect one half of the head, is pulsating in nature, and last from two to 72 hours.
Facts about migraine
- Migraine is the 3rd most prevalent disease in the world
- Approx. 38 Millions of Americans are suffering from migraine.
- Approximately 1 in 4 US households includes someone who is dealing with migraine.
- 6% of men, 18% of American women, and 10% of children experience migraines.
- It ismost common between the age group of 25 and 55.
- About 90% of migraine sufferers have a family history of migraine.
Migraine is not just a bad headache
- Migraine results in severe recurring pain, usually on one side of the head.
- Few of the disabling symptoms of migraine are – nausea, dizziness, vomiting, extreme sensitivity to sound, light, touch and smell, and tingling or numbness in the extremities or face.
- Approx. 25% of the migraine sufferers also have a visual disturbance called an aura, usually lasts less than an hour.
Migraine disproportionately affects women
- 28 million women have migraine in the US
- 85% of chronic migraine sufferers are women.
- Roughly 1 in 4 women experience migraine in their lives.
- Women are three times more prone to migraine in adulthood than men.
- About half of female sufferers have more than one attack each month, and a quarter experience 4 or more severe attacks per month.
- More severe and more frequent attacks often result from fluctuations in estrogen levels.
Migraine affects kids, too
- Migraine often goes undiagnosed in children.
- Approximately 10% of the children of school-age suffer from migraine.
- Half of the migraine sufferers have their first attack before the 12 years age.
- In childhood, boys suffer from migraine more often than girls; as adolescence approaches, the incidence increases more rapidly in girls than in boys.
- A child who has one parent with migraine has a 50% chance of inheriting it, and the chances rise to 75%, if both parents have migraine.
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