Regular headaches are among the most common disorders of the nervous system. A headache is a painful and debilitating condition that occurs with several types of primary headaches, such as migraines, tension headaches, and cluster headaches. Headaches can also be caused by other factors or be secondary to a long list of other conditions, such as headaches caused by the overuse of medications.

How common are headaches?

It is estimated that globally, the prevalence of headaches (with clinical symptoms at least once in the past year) among adults is around 50%. Between half and three-quarters of people aged 18-65 worldwide have experienced a headache in the past year, and more than 30% of these people reported migraines. Between 1.7% and 4% of the world’s adult population suffers from headaches that last 15 or more days per month.

Treatment

Proper treatment of headaches requires professional training for healthcare providers, accurate diagnosis and identification of the condition, appropriate treatment with cost-effective medications, simple lifestyle changes, and patient health education. The main classes of medications for treating headaches include: analgesics, antiemetics, migraine medications, and preventive medications.