About one in six people will have a headache on any given day, according to a new study that tries to understand the extent of the condition worldwide.
The research, which involved examining nearly 60 years of studies, found that nearly half of the people who took part will have a migraine.
“The data does suggest that headaches and migraines rates may be increasing,” said Lars Jacob Stovner, the lead author for the study.
“What is clear is that overall, headache disorders are highly prevalent worldwide and can be a high burden.”
The researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim reviewed 357 publications from 1961 to the end of 2020.
Most of them concerned people aged 20 to 65, and some included children as young as five.
The research, published in The Journal of Headache and Pain, found that every year more than half of the population will suffer from some form of headache.
Some are affected more, with nearly one in 20 people having a headache on 15 days or more a month. Headaches were more common in women than men, particularly migraines.
“We should endeavour to reduce this burden through prevention and better treatment," Mr Stovner said.
