13 Interesting Facts You Need to Know About Migraine

First and foremost, let’s clear up a common misconception: No, migraine isn’t merely a terrible headache. More than that, migraine causes severe throbbing pain that usually comes with other symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and even temporary blindness.

So yes, migraine is often misunderstood and there are a lot of other facts you need to know about it. If you’re curious about learning more, go scroll down below and we’ll fill you in with helpful information along the way.

#1. Migraine ranks as the world’s third most common disease.

According to statistics, about 14.7% of the world population (that’s 1 out of 7 people) suffer from this disorder. Zooming in on that, there are about 39 million people in the United States who experience migraine.

#2. More women are affected.

Across the globe, about 3/4 of those who have migraine are women.

#3. Triggers differ from person to person.

Migraine can actually be triggered by a lot of sources. Stress is one thing but aside from that, alcoholism, caffeine intake, and even sleeping problems can cause migraine. There are even cases when a patient suffered after eating cheese or other types of food.

#4. Aura can be a warning.

In some cases, aura can warn of an incoming migraine attack. In fact, it can come before a person feels nauseous and experiences severe head pain. A MentalFloss article even tells us auras typically happen “10 to 30 minutes before the migraine develops” and they could last from 5 minutes up to an hour.

#5. Migraine can cause temporary blindness.

Ocular migraine can cause temporary loss of sight in one eye. A person may regain his or her vision after 10 to 20 minutes.

#6. Migraine can also lead to loss of limb function.

Sounds scary, right? Well, it’s true and hemiplegic migraine can cause that. This rare (and serious) kind of migraine may cause paralysis similar to a stroke since half of the body will experience numbness or muscle weakness.

#7. Children can also have migraine.

No, migraine isn’t exclusively an adult problem because even youngsters can have them. It is said that about 10% of school-aged children experience the disorder. The “Out Of My Head” documentary tells us that migraine counts as the third most common reason why children are taken to emergency rooms.

#8. It can inherited.

Migraine can be hereditary in some cases. In fact, 80 to 90% of migraine patients admit they have at least 1 family member who also has the same condition. Children have 50% chance of inheriting migraine if one parent has it. The risk jumps up to 75% if both parents have migraine.

#9. 36% of veterans suffer migraine.

Aside from genetics, it looks like profession can also contribute to having migraine. As a matter of fact, a study discovered that 36% of those deployed in Iraq for 12 months showed migraine symptoms upon their return. Veterans experience head or neck trauma which they may have gotten from accidents, falls, and explosions while they’re in Iraq. Although some recover from post-traumatic migraine after several months, there are those who later get worse and develop a chronic condition.

#10. Migraine research needs a bigger budget.

We’re already said its a common disease but unfortunately, it doesn’t get the funds that it deserves. According to a 2017 report, the National Institues of Health alocated $22 million for migraine research. This amount dwarfs in comparison with othe researches which received bigger budgets such as asthma ($286 million), breast cancer ($689 million) and diabetes ($1.1 billion).

#11. Migraine costs up to $13 billion each year.

“Out of My Head” tells us migraine causes about 113 million missed work days are every year which amounts up to $13 billion.

#12. The Alice in Wonderland connection.

There is a theory that Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland, suffered migraine attacks himself and he wrote about how it felt through the beloved children story’s protagonist. As most of us can remember, Alice drank a liquid that made her grow big and ate a cookie that shrunk her down.

Migraine can have that kind of effect since others report incidents of micropsia and macropsia – which means perceiving objects to be smaller or bigger than they actually are.

#13. Migraine is linked to depression.

In the United States, about 40% of migraine patients also suffer from depression.