Headache-related work absences have a considerable socio-economic effect

Headache and work

Eight out of ten people who took part in a study carried out by a specialist headache centre felt they were much less effective at work and 91 per cent said they felt hampered by headaches on a daily basis, according to the March issue of Cephalalgia.

"Migraines and tension-type headaches are much more common in people's forties, when they are often at their most productive, so the socio-economic implications of this chronic disease are considerable" says Gabrielle Vinding from the Danish Headache Centre at the University of Copenhagen.

But it's not just people who consult specialist services that add to the economic burden, she says. European and American studies suggest that as many as 18 per cent of people suffer lifetime migraines. And the lifetime prevalence of tension-type headaches in Denmark is thought to be as high as 78 per cent.

"In Denmark the total cost of all headache disorders is approximately