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