In 2011, the World Health Organization and the global campaign against headaches, "Lifting the Burden," published an atlas on the prevalence of headache disorders and available resources for their care . The main messages of this key WHO publication on migraine and headaches describe the current inadequate care situation and the necessary steps for modernizing and improving the diagnosis and treatment of headache disorders.

  • Headache disorders are very widespread and severely disabling worldwide. Nevertheless, they are not adequately recognized in health systems, are incompletely diagnosed and inadequately treated;
  • Only a minority of people suffering from headache disorders receive a professional, adequate diagnosis and targeted treatment. The lower the income, the more frequently inadequate diagnoses occur
  • Treatment guidelines are routinely used in 55% of countries. In countries with lower average incomes, they are used even less
  • Although there is a wide range of medicines that can be used effectively against headaches, adequate medicines for treatment are not available regardless of per capita income, creating a barrier to modern care;
  • Worldwide, only four hours of medical school curriculum are dedicated to headache disorders. This lack of training is considered a key problem for the subsequent adequate treatment of headache disorders
  • Although headache disorders can be diagnosed and alleviated with modern methods, the underutilization of resources results in a severe individual burden for headache sufferers as well as a burden on society. This situation persists pointlessly despite the availability of treatment options
  • The financial impact on the individual affected, as well as on society, due to reduced productivity is exceptionally high.
  • Suggestions for an improved healthcare landscape include:
  • Improved professional training and further education is the most important measure to improve the care of headache disorders;
  • One third of countries worldwide recommend improved organization and coordination of the headache care landscape;
  • Given the very high indirect costs of headache disorders, greater economic investment in headache healthcare is needed. This measure can also be effective in saving costs overall.

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