1.6m working days lost to migraine
A study into the effects of migraine in Irish society, shows that about 200,000 workers suffer from the condition, and miss an average of 8.4 days of work each year as a result of the symptoms, which include severe headache and vomiting.
The report by the Migraine Association of Ireland said: “This has huge cost, not only to the individual but to the Irish economy as well. Even based on the minimum wage of €7.65 per hour, this equates to a cost per migraineur of €514 per annum. In addition, work performance was reduced by 50% or more due to migraine attack on 22 days a year for sufferers.
“Based on the date, the estimated cost of migraine to the Irish economy is a minimum of €238,800,000 per annum,” it said.
The report said greater understanding of the condition is needed, particularly in the workplace where sufferers are often seen as lazy, work-shy or unable to cope with demands.
“Greater action is needed in this area urgently if the migraine stigma is to be removed and the prejudice, and even discrimination of people with migraine, is to be removed,” the report recommended.
The study also shows that migraine is putting huge pressure on emergency departments, with 17% of sufferers admitting to attending A&E wards because of migraine attacks.
It said sufferers often attend A&E when they have symptoms including severe headache, vomiting and aura, and more education is needed to reduce the burden on the already busy emergency departments.
The survey, which questioned 400 people, found that a fifth of migraine sufferers experience their first symptoms before the age of 12, while half start suffering before the age of 18.
It also revealed that on average, migraine sufferers do not receive diagnosis until six years after they first experience symptoms, and one in 12 sufferers have never contacted their GPs.
