It is estimated that every tenth inhabitant of Germany knows symptoms of migraine from personal experience. Thus, the disease migraine not only means an enormous restriction of individual quality of life, but also a huge burden for the health care system.
Migraine – an overview
Migraines are more than “simple” headaches; they are usually accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, sensitivity to light, and neurological deficits. Migraines make it impossible for sufferers to participate in daily life for hours to days. It is estimated that about 6 percent of men and 15 percent of women suffer from migraines and their symptoms.
Migraine has increased massively in industrialized countries in recent decades: More and more people are affected and migraine symptoms start earlier and earlier. American studies showed an increase of at least 20 percent within a decade.
A Finnish study revealed that the number of migraine cases in children under the age of seven tripled between 1974 and 1992 – especially in areas with socially weaker classes. In Germany, too, more and more children (10 to 20 percent) suffer from headaches, of which about 12 percent present as migraines.
Intolerances and unhealthy diet as a possible cause?
It is still unclear how migraines develop and why there is an increase in the number of migraine cases. Food intolerances often exist at the same time; some experts blame the “modern” high-carbohydrate diet with lots of fast food.
In the case of migraine, both the acute attacks must be treated as quickly as possible and attempts must be made to minimize the strength and frequency of the attacks by means of various measures.
