Over 50% of World's Population Is Likely Affected by This Health Disorder Every Year

If you have a headaches, you may need to take an aspirin. A new study estimates the extent of head pain worldwide, and the data is staggering.

A team led by epidemiologists from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology summarized epidemiological headaches studies from 1961 to the end of 2020 and found that 52 percent of us suffer from some form of headaches each year.

The majority of the publications reviewed were from high-income countries. The team included studies from a wide range of settings including company employees, university students, and hospital staff.

According to the authors, global prevalence for headaches is between 14 and 26 percent.

The authors point out that 14.8% of the world's population had headaches each day.

The researchers found that headaches were more common in females than in males, with 8.6 percent of headaches in males being migraines. Women are more likely to report headaches as an ongoing health issue, with 6 percent of females reporting they had a headaches on 15 or more days per month, compared to just 2 percent of males.

Many of the studies made their own estimates of global headaches prevalence.

6 percent of the variation in the estimates can be explained by the different years the studies were published, with prevalence estimates increasing with more recent publications. There was no correlation between the publication date and other headaches.

The team notes that there is more than one possible explanation for the increase in headaches.

It is possible that the increase in the number of migraines may be related to environmental, physical, behavioral or psychological changes, but more likely it is due to methodological developments over the years leading to better techniques of access and engagement.

When the authors took into account methodological factors such as screening questions, sample size, publication year, and how diagnostic criteria were applied, they were able to explain more than half of the variation in migraines estimates.

Most of the studies reviewed came from high-income countries with good healthcare systems, so the authors don't want to generalize the findings to every country. We would get a more accurate global estimate if more data could be gathered from middle and low-income countries.

The review, along with other research, consistently shows that headaches are a huge burden worldwide.

The Global Burden of Disease study found that headaches were the second highest cause of disability, and first among women under 50 years of age.

The prevalence of headaches is high and the burden of different types may affect many. We should try to reduce this burden through prevention and better treatment, according to a neurologist from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

To measure the effect of such efforts, we must be able to monitor prevalence and burden. Our study helps us understand how to improve.

The study was published in a journal.