Migraine sufferers must endure an often crippling, neurologically based pressure in the back of the skull for hours—and sometimes days. But sufferers aren't the only ones feeling the pain. One report indicates that migraines impact not only your happiness and productivity, but also that of your family and co-workers.
It's become an accepted fact that "migraineurs"—people who suffer such headaches—have not only poorer physical and mental health, but also a compromised quality of life. Of all Americans, 11 percent experience migraines—with three women sufferers for every man. But to learn how—or even if—this debilitating condition impacts victims' friends and relatives, Richard Upton, a neurologist at the University of Chicago Medical School, and four colleagues conducted extensive telephone surveys.
In comparison to the 242 healthy subjects they spoke with, the researchers found that the 246 migraineurs they contacted were 50 percent more likely to skip school or work and 70 percent more likely to feel overstretched by their academic and career demands. Of those who had attended classes or meetings in the past three months, 72 percent reported decreased productivity. More important, for those around them, migraine sufferers reported choosing less demanding work and reduced office hours, which they admitted was a big burden on coworkers. They also believed that they were worse parents and partners than their healthy counterparts and said that they were less able to communicate or spend time with children and spouses.
Upton presented his findings at an American Academy of Neurology meeting in Toronto, noting that physicians treating patients for migraines should address not only their physical pain, but ways to alleviate the headaches they cause for others.
