Effects of Co-Morbidity Examined in Online Survey
Chicago, IL - September 21, 2006 - When it comes to coping with migraines, America’s 29.5 million sufferers have their hands full with the day-to-day impact of this disease, including the physical pain, missed activities and managing their medications. It can be even more difficult to handle these responsibilities if an individual suffers from another medical condition at the same time; referred to as co-morbidity. The National Headache Foundation (NHF) conducted an online survey asking sufferers to share their experiences about their migraine and any co-morbid conditions.
Highlights of the survey results are as follows:
- Eighty-nine percent suffer from other health ailments along with their migraine and depression accounts for 54% of those instances
- Sixty-three percent have a history of migraine in their family
- Fifty-five percent have a family history of their co-morbid condition
Along with the NHF survey, an article in NHF Head Lines by Dr. Gary Ruoff from the Westside Family Medical Center in Kalamazoo, MI indicated that migraine has been clearly associated with an elevated risk for the first onset of major depression. Conversely, major depression has been linked to an increased risk for the development of migraine. Further, the presence of both migraine and depression in the same person seems to increase the potential for the existence of other co-morbid disorders. The NHF Head Lines article also noted that in migraine sufferers, co-morbidities such as epilepsy, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and others occur at a significantly higher rate than in sufferers without a history of migraine.
According to the NHF survey, the most common co-morbid conditions include:
- Depression (54%)
- Anxiety Disorder (34%)
- Chronic Fatigue (20%)
- Asthma (17%)
- Fibromyalgia (17%)
“Migraine is a common disease as are many of the co-morbid conditions revealed by the survey. It is important to inform your healthcare provider about other health conditions you may have,” states Suzanne Simons, executive director of the National Headache Foundation. “If you see multiple healthcare providers, encourage them to communicate. This will ensure that you receive the most effective treatments.”
The National Headache Foundation, founded in 1970 is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving headache sufferers, their families and the healthcare providers who treat them; promoting research into headache causes and treatments; and educating the public to the fact that headaches are a legitimate biological disease and that sufferers should receive understanding and continuity of care.
For more information on headache causes and treatments, visit www.headaches.org or call 1-888-NHF-5552 (M-F. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST).
Interviews with the NHF Executive Director Suzanne Simons or a physician are available upon request. For an electronic copy of this release, e-mail broberts@silbarpr.com
Contact:
Suzanne E. Simons
Executive Director
National Headache Foundation
(312) 274-2651
Brent Roberts or Brooke Highline
Merton G. Silbar Public Relations
(847) 729-7333
broberts@silbarpr.com or bhighline@silbarpr.com
