Migraine has Huge Economic Costs, WHO Says

Geneva, May 5. -More than 40 percent of the adult population worldwide suffers from migraine, a condition that has huge economic costs, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Migraine, still under-recognised, under-diagnosed and under-treated, is the cause of 1.3 percent of all disability due to illness, according to the WHO report.

In the European Union, migraine alone is the cause of an estimated 190 million lost days from work and 155 billion euros.

In spite of this, "headache and migraine disorders are greatly underrated and underreported by health systems and receive too little attention," WHO's director of mental health and substance abuse disorders, Dr Shekhar Saxena, said.

"Headaches can be debilitating for many people, rendering them unable to work. During migraine attacks, 90 per cent of people postpone household chores, almost three-quarters have limited ability to work and half of them miss work entirely", he said.

Migraine is a chronic disease of unknown cause manifested by crisis or repeated headache attacks. (Prensa Latina)