Epidemiology of Migraine

I have always been interested in statistics...so of course I had to look up the epidemiology of migraine. This is what I found!

In the United States, more than 30 million people have 1 or more migraine headaches per year. This corresponds to approximately 18% of females and 6% of males. Migraine accounts for 64% of severe headaches in females and 43% of severe headaches in males. Approximately 75% of all persons who experience migraines are women. Currently, 1 in 6 American women has migraine headaches. (The reported incidence of migraine in females of reproductive age has increased over the last 20 years, but this change probably reflects greater awareness of the condition.) The incidence of migraine with aura peaks in boys at around age 5 years and in girls at around age 12–13 years. The incidence of migraine without aura peaks in boys at age 10-11 years and in girls at age 14–17 years. Before puberty, the prevalence and incidence of migraine are higher in boys than in girls. After age 12 years, the prevalence increases in males and females, reaching a peak at age 30–40 years. The female-to-male ratio increases from 2.5:1 at puberty to 3.5:1 at age 40 years. Attacks usually decrease in severity and frequency after age 40 years, except for women in perimenopause. Women aged 40–50 years are also more susceptible to migrainous vertigo. The onset of migraine after age 50 years is rare.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the worldwide prevalence of current migraine to be 10% and the lifetime prevalence to be 14%. The adjusted prevalence of migraine is highest in North America, followed by South and Central America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Approximately 3000 migraine attacks per million persons worldwide occur every day. According to the WHO, migraine is 19th among all causes of years lived with disability.

The economic cost resulting from migraine-related loss of productive time in the US workforce is more than $13 billion per year, most of which is in the form of reduced work productivity. In the American Migraine Study, more than 85% of women and 82% of men with severe migraine had some headache-related disability. Migraineur men required 3.8 bed-rest days per year, whereas women required 5.6 bed-rest days per year.

Courtesy of medicine.mescape.com