The pain and dysfunction of migraine are not limited to the migraineur, but can have an increasingly negative effect on a wider circle of family and friends, a new study shows.

In this study of 1810 women from nine countries, more than half of patients surveyed said that migraines - which predominantly affect women - prevented them from taking care of their families properly.

In addition, nearly one in four claimed that migraines caused stress in their relationships with loved ones.

Migraine is not just a one-dimensional disorder, affecting only the migraineur," said Dr Smuts, a local neurologist, "It can have also have a devastating effect on family life and may place a strain even on intimate relationships."

MELT Study Sampling1
My family and friends understand how much I suffer because of severe headaches or migraines 78%
Unable to spend time with family or friends because of severe headache or migraine in the past six months 62%
I feel that I am not able to properly take care of my family when I have a severe headache or migraine 41%
Severe headaches or migraine have caused stress in my relationships with family and friends 23%
Severe headaches or migraine cause stress in my sexual relationships 18%
My significant other does not believe that I have severe headaches or migraine 16%

The results of the study agree with previous findings that migraine can have a substantial negative impact on family and friends.

About Migraine

Migraine is estimated to affect 18 percent of women, and predominantly affects people in their working years. Migraines are not just ordinary headaches. They are a complex group of symptoms characterized by unpredictable attacks of typically moderate to severe, usually one-sided, throbbing headaches. Attacks generally last from four to 72 hours and are accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to sound and light.

Only about 15 percent of migraine sufferers experience aura (visual, sensory or motor symptoms such as flashing lights, zigzag patterns, weakness or numbness that precede the onset of headache).

Many patients prolong the pain and disability of migraine through continued use of ineffective, non-specific medications. Recent comparative studies2 demonstrate that patients achieved significantly faster, all-day pain relief and returned to normal function more rapidly with migraine specific medications (known as triptans) when compared to alternative therapies such as analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and ergotamines.

For more information on migraine, visit www.mymigraine.co.za. You can also complete the online questionnaire which will help you in finding out whether or not your headache is a migraine.

Reference 1: A multinational study of migraine treatment patterns amongst young, active women; The Migraine Effect on Life and Treatment Study (MELT) October 2003

Reference 2: The family impact of migraine; Population based studies in the USA and UK, RB Lipton, et al; Cephalalgia, Blackwell Publishing Ltd.,2003, 23, 429-440

This article was written on behalf of the manufacturer