The bigger picture

Women are much more likely to be migraine sufferers than men – three times as many women are affected as men – and this is thought to be due to the influence of the hormone oestrogen. Around one in seven people are migraineurs, making it third only to dental caries and tension-type headache as the most common disease in the world, with more than three-quarters of sufferers experiencing at least one attack per month.

Migraine is often dismissed as “just a headache” but globally it is ranked as the seventh most disabling disease, and the leading cause of disability among all neurological disorders. It is costly, both to the NHS, with GP visits and prescription drugs estimated at some £150 million per year, and to society as a whole: the UK population is thought to lose 25 million days from work or school each year, with the financial burden on the UK economy put at just under £3.5 billion. The ongoing impact can be profound, with depression three times more common in people with migraine than those who are healthy.