"The Headache Week": a useful tool to highlight "invisible" migraineurs

Abstract

Headache is a common and disabling disease in every age group. However, epidemiological data show that many affected subjects (about 30%-70%) have not ever visited a doctor and have rarely been referred to a pain specialist (4%). A possible explanation may be unsatisfactory relationships between patients and their physicians [35], inducing pessimism and a feeling that no help can be found.

J Headache Pain (2005) 6:422423

DOI 10.1007/s10194-005-0238-2LETTER TO THE EDITORThe Headache Week: a useful tool to

highlight invisible migraineursVincenzo RaieliFilippo Brighina

Giuseppe Calagna

Matteo Calia

Flavia Consolo

Silvio Crin

Mario Demma

Dante Ferrara

Margherita Francolini

Riccardo Lupo

Calogero Morreale

Domenico Puma

Donatella Ragusa

Giuseppe Santangelo

Franco Serra

Giovanni La PegnaReceived: 6 June 2005Accepted in revised form: 19 July 2005

Published online: 21 September 2005V. Raieli ()Div. NPI, Osp. Ingrassia,

Via Giuseppe Pagano 14,

I-90129 Palermo, Italy

e-mail: [email protected]

Tel.: [phone]

Fax: [phone]V. Raieli F. Brighina G. CalagnaM. Calia F. Consolo S. CrinM. Demma D. Ferrara M. FrancoliniR. Lupo C. Morreale D. PumaD. Ragusa G. Santangelo F. SerraG. La Pegna*Gruppo Regionale SISC

Palermo, Italy*Presidente Sezione Regionale SISC

CaltanissettaHeadache is a common and disabling

disease in every age group. However,

epidemiological data show that many

affected subjects (about 30%70%)

have not ever visited a doctor and have

rarely been referred to a pain specialist

(4%) [1, 2]. A possible explanation

may be unsatisfactory relationships

between patients and their physicians

[35], inducing pessimism and a feeling that no help can be found.

We organised a free meeting in a

headache centre for a whole week with

the precise aim of better understanding

the requests of cephalalgic patients

about their headaches. During the

established week, several pain experts

(belonging to the Italian Society for

the Study of Headache) were available

to answer questions about paediatric

and adult headaches, coming either via

phone, mail or direct contact. This

Headache Week was advertised in

journals and posters both in hospitals

and outpatient clinics.

During the week, we had 182 contacts:

113 by phone, 58 by direct visit and 11

by mail. There were 136 females and

46 males. Migraine was diagnosed in

133 subjects, chronic daily headache in

19, not well defined headaches in 26

and other primary headaches in 4. The

more surprising finding was that about

78% of the population, almost all suffering from severe headaches with

respect to frequency of attacks and

duration of illness, had not ever visited

a headache centre or specialist and had

never taken a preventive therapy for

their headache. Their chief question

was about which headache centre or

pain specialist to refer to for ameliorating their headache. In the other 22% of

the subjects, who had previously visited headache centres, the main questions concerned new therapies, potential vascular risks and use of prescription medicines [35].

Our obtained data suggest that our

initiative to carry out the Headache

Week has been surprisingly useful,

not only to answer the questions of

subjects who had already been to

pain specialists, but also to highlight

the population of cephalalgic patients

that never go to a specialist and often

cure themselves. Indeed, appropriate

diagnosis and management by a

headache or pain specialist can give

these patients better standard of care,

avoiding medication overuse and

headache chronicisation.423References1. Lipton RB, Stewart WF, Scher AI

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the migraine patient: improving compliance. Neurology 48[Suppl3]:S16S204. Packard RC (1979) What does the

headache patient want? Headache

19:3703745. Raieli V, Puma D, Eliseo GL, La

Franca G et al (2002) Cosa significa la

Cefalea per il bambino, la madre e il

pediatra: aspetti metodologici e dati

preliminari. Atti XVI Congr. Naz.

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