Migraine Facts

Migraine is more than just a "bad headache"

  • It is a complex neurological disease
  • Typical symptoms include: moderate to severe head pain, light and/or sound sensitivity, nausea, vomiting, and more 1
  • It can also affect mood, thinking, gastrointestinal function, balance, sleep, food cravings, work/school productivity, and more

Migraine is highly prevalent globally

  • It affects 1 in 7 people, which is about 1 billion people worldwide 2,3
  • Almost 8-9% of children have migraine 4
  • People between 18-44 years old have the highest prevalence 5
  • 1-2% of people have chronic migraine, meaning they have at least 15 headache days/month with at least 8 days that have migraine features 6,7
  • 15% of Americans are affected by it 8

Migraine disproportionately impacts...

  • Women - It is 3-4x more prevalent in women than men 9
  • BIPOC - American Indians and Native Alaskans have the highest prevalence compared to other races/ethnicities 10
  • LGBTQ+ - Gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals are 58% more likely to have migraine than strictly heterosexual individuals 11,12

Migraine is a leading cause of disability

  • It is the second-leading cause of disability worldwide 13
  • It is the leading cause of disability for women under 50 years old 13
  • 12% of adults aged 15-64 with migraine are disabled because of pain and associated symptoms 14

Migraine has an enormous economic cost

  • American employers lose an estimated $19.3 billion per year because of missed workdays 15
  • Healthcare costs for people with migraine are about $6,575 higher per year than for people without migraine 16
  • The U.S. spends $4.1 trillion in health care expenditures annually; chronic diseases, like migraine, are the leading drivers of this cost 17

Migraine funding and education is insufficient, but improving

  • National Institute of Health funding for migraine research increased by 70% from 2020 to 2021 18
  • Medical training includes an average of four hours on all headache disorders 19
  • There are less than 750 certified headache specialists in the U.S as of 2022. 20

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