Migraine Facts

Migraine is more than a headache, it is a complex neurological disease.

  • Migraine is a genetic, multisystem neurological disease.
  • Many people with migraine have an overly sensitive nervous system, causing a variety of symptoms. Though it is known for headaches as a primary symptom, migraine disease also impacts mood, gastrointestinal function, balance, sleep, facial pain and more.

Migraine can be chronic.

  • More than 4 million people have chronic daily migraine, with at least 15 migraine days per month.

Migraine disproportionately impacts women.

  • Almost one-third of women will experience migraine during their lifetime.
  • 75% of all people with migraine are women.

Migraine erodes quality of life.

  • Migraine is the sixth highest cause of years lost due to disease, according to the World Health Organization.

Migraine has an enormous economic cost.

  • People with migraine visit the ER twice as often, use 2.5 times the prescriptions and have 6 times the diagnostic tests and services compared to non-migraine patients.
  • Migraine costs American employers about $19 billion a year because of missed workdays and impaired work function.

Migraine is inadequately diagnosed and treated.

  • There is an estimated 7-year delay in diagnosis.
  • 50% of people with migraine are not diagnosed and 50% of people with migraine are unhappy with their treatment.
  • Medical training includes an average of 4 hours on all headache disorders.

Migraine research is underfunded.

  • NIH funding for migraine research is less than 2% of federal funding for neurodegenerative diseases, and less than 1% of funding for chronic disease.

Patient Perspectives

“I lost my career. I lost my friends. I lost somebody who I thought was going to spend the rest of my life with.

It takes its toll and I don’t think that people really understand that.”

– Jessica

“I’ve suffered greatly over the past four years –a living hell with more weird, unexplained and scary symptoms than most could imagine.”

– Chrissy

“It affects all aspects of my body, not just the physical. I feel like my migraine takes over my thoughts and emotions too.

I can’t think of anything but the pain…”

– Lisa

“I wish people would stop thinking that I’m on a “holiday” from work. What I would do to have my normal life back.”

– Nancy