Reducing the Burden of Headache

This is the first book devoted to the study of the social and economic consequences of headache. Reducing the Burden of Headache analyses the financial cost of headache diseases, the disability and suffering they cause and the impact they have on the quality of life of the sufferers and their families. These are issues of major importance; migraine appears in the top 20 list of diseases ranked according to years lived with disability. Headache, in general, is thought to account for approximately 20% of all days lost from work. Of even greater importance is the impact on everyday life, studies have shown that migraine has a greater impact on the quality of life of sufferers than many other diseases generally considered to be more serious. This book describes and analyses the epidemiological data accumulated in the field and suggests guidelines and interventions aimed at improving healthcare for headache. Adoption of these suggestions combined with judicious use of existing resources and modern treatment options can lead to great improvements in the lives of headache sufferers world-wide. This book will be of interest to neurologists, general practitioners, epidemiologists, public health specialists, health service managers and all those interested in improving services and outcomes for sufferers of headache.