Headache disorders affected almost\u00a03\u00a0billion people worldwide in 2023-nearly one\u00a0in every three people, a figure unchanged since 1990-and ranked sixth among causes of health loss, according to new research to be\u00a0published in\u00a0The Lancet Neurology. The analysis is part of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study and estimated\u00a0health loss from migraine, tension-type headache, and medication-overuse headache from 1990 through 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The study was led by researchers at the\u00a0Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation\u00a0(IHME) and the\u00a0Norwegian University of Science and Technology\u00a0(NTNU).\u00a0The study examined the health loss resulting from headache disorders,\u00a0and\u00a0how long people\u00a0have\u00a0headache\u00a0across different ages and sexes.\u00a0Health loss was measured in years lived with disability (YLDs), which captures\u00a0the total time people spend living with health conditions that limit daily activities and overall well-being.\u00a0Drawing on population-based studies worldwide, the analysis provides the most comprehensive picture to date of how headache disorders affect daily life and overall health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Headache disorders rank among the world’s most disabling conditions, disproportionately affecting women.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2023, headache disorders accounted for an age-standardized rate of 541.9 YLDs per\u00a0100,000 people, ranking sixth among all causes of disability globally.\u00a0The burden of headache disorders was more than twice as high among women as men, with rates of 739.9 and 346.1 YLDs per 100,000, respectively. Across every age group, women consistently spent more time experiencing headache symptoms than men.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Our analysis shows that headache\u00a0disorders have\u00a0remained unchanged\u00a0in three decades,” said\u00a0Yvonne Xu,\u00a0co-author\u00a0and research\u00a0scientist\u00a0at IHME.\u00a0“And women experience significantly higher levels of headache-related disability\u00a0because they have headaches more\u00a0frequently\u00a0and\u00a0for longer\u00a0durations than men.\u00a0Recognizing this\u00a0is essential for improving how we prevent\u00a0and manage headache disorders worldwide.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Migraine and medication overuse drive most of the global burden from headache disorders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although tension-type headache\u00a0is\u00a0nearly twice\u00a0as prevalent as migraine,\u00a0migraine accounts\u00a0for about 90% of headache-attributed YLDs. In 2023, migraine alone caused an estimated 40.9 million YLDs\u00a0globally, with an age-standardized rate of 487.5 YLDs per 100,000. Tension-type\u00a0headache\u00a0accounted for 54.4 YLDs per 100,000, showing that migraine, though less common, is far more disabling and drives most of the overall burden of headache disorders.\u00a0While the highest rates of disability from migraine were seen in North Africa and the Middle East, closely followed by high-income regions such as Europe and North America, the burden\u00a0remains\u00a0high worldwide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Medication-overuse headache, defined as the worsening of an existing headache due to excessive use of medication (e.g., pain\u00a0medication)\u00a0mainly\u00a0used\u00a0to treat migraine or tension-type headache,\u00a0further amplifies\u00a0this burden. While\u00a0this condition\u00a0affects\u00a0relatively\u00a0few,\u00a0its\u00a0impact on\u00a0population-level\u00a0disability is\u00a0substantial\u00a0because of the high individual burden. For migraine, medication overuse accounted for 22.6% of YLDs in men\u00a0and 14.1% in\u00a0women, while for tension-type headache, it contributed 58.9% and 56.1%, respectively. Overall, medication overuse\u00a0was responsible for\u00a0more than\u00a0one-fifth of all headache-related disability globally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Our findings show that\u00a0a large part of the\u00a0global headache burden is preventable,” said\u00a0Andreas\u00a0Kattem\u00a0Hus\u00f8y,\u00a0lead author and\u00a0post-doctoral fellow in the Department of\u00a0Neuromedicine\u00a0and Movement Science at NTNU\u00a0and Norwegian Centre for Headache Research (NorHead).\u00a0“Integrating headache\u00a0services\u00a0into primary\u00a0care, especially in low- and middle-income countries where effective treatments\u00a0remain\u00a0scarce,\u00a0could reduce lost productivity and improve quality of life for hundreds of millions.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Improved care and education are key to reducing the global burden of headache disorders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Headache disorders\u00a0remain\u00a0one of the most common and disabling health\u00a0conditions worldwide. The burden\u00a0is unevenly distributed by sex and further intensified by overuse\u00a0of\u00a0pain medication,\u00a0a preventable cause of long-term pain and disability. Although effective and affordable treatments are available, access to\u00a0appropriate care\u00a0and education on safe medication use\u00a0remain\u00a0limited in many settings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The findings highlight an urgent need to strengthen prevention, management, and access to care for headache disorders worldwide.\u00a0With greater awareness and coordinated action, much of the global burden of headache disorders can be prevented.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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