Why Headache?

Headache disorders are the most prevalent of the neurological conditions and among the most frequent of medical complaints seen in general practice. They take many forms, including migraine, tension-type headache, trigemino-autonomic cephalalgia (cluster headache), primary stabbing headache, primary sex headache, or rarer conditions such as trigeminal neuralgia or persistent idiopathic facial pain. Half of the general population experience headache during any given year, and more than 90% report a lifetime history of head pain. The most severely disabled 3% experience a headache such as chronic migraine and chronic tension-type headache at least 15 days per month. Headache disorders contribute to a considerable loss of work time and productivity.

If you would like to volunteer to translate Global Year materials or if you are organizing an event focused on Headache and would like to include it on our website, please contact IASPdesk@iasp-pain.org.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the Global Year Against Headache Task Force co-chairs, Peter Goadsby (USA), Arne May (Germany), and Jean Schoenen (Belgium).

IASP would also like to thank the following authors for their work on the fact sheets:

IASP members Messoud Ashina (Denmark), Stefan Evers (Germany), and Till Sprenger (Switzerland); and IHS members Gregor Brössner (Austria), Charly Gaul (Germany), Tim Jürgens (Germany), Zaza Katsarava (Germany), Anne MacGregor (UK), Delphine Magis (Belgium), and Arn van den Maagdenberg (Netherlands).