Health, New Zealand (Commonwealth Union) – A recent survey conducted by the University of Otago, Wellington, and the Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand has unveiled startling insights into the impact of migraine disease on individuals’ lives in New Zealand. The survey, the first of its kind in the country, reveals that over a quarter of respondents have missed school or work for over five days within a three-month period due to migraine-related issues.
Of the 530 participants, half reported not being able to perform household tasks, while nearly a third had to forgo family, social, or leisure activities during the same timeframe. Alarmingly, almost half of the respondents met the criteria for severe disability, underscoring the profound toll migraine takes on the daily lives of affected individuals.
Lead researcher Dr. Fiona Imlach, a Senior Research Fellow at the University’s Department of Public Health and co-founder of the Migraine Foundation, indicated that migraine not only inflicts substantial physical and mental health challenges but also severely disrupts work productivity, social interactions, and family dynamics for many New Zealanders. These findings, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, shed light on the urgent need for greater awareness and support for those living with migraine in New Zealand.
Migraine affects approximately one in seven individuals worldwide, disproportionately impacting women over men by two to three times. In New Zealand, it’s estimated that over 640,000 people live with this condition.
A significant portion of survey respondents, nearly a quarter (23%), reported experiencing chronic migraine, enduring headaches for 15 or more days per month, representing the highest degree of disability. Among them, 20% faced continuous or nearly continuous headaches (5% of all respondents), while another 22% endured 24 or more headache days per month (also 5% of all respondents).
Survey participants described enduring substantial levels of pain lasting for hours or days. One respondent even expressed a desperate sentiment, pointing out that people underestimate the excruciating pain and dismiss it as just a headache. This participant had contemplated simply severing the head to make it stop.
Researchers of the study pointed out that these migraine attacks often come with debilitating symptoms such as loss of speech coherence, one-sided paralysis, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances including temporary or complete loss of vision, as well as sensitivity to sound, light, smell, and touch.
Sue Garrett, a Senior Lecturer in the University’s Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice and co-researcher, highlights that migraine frequently leads to anxiety and depression. Respondents expressed the impact in severe terms like “misery” and “devastation,” with some describing it as “ruining” their lives.
“Those living with chronic migraine describe only living half a life, of feeling isolated, trapped, lonely and useless. A common theme was the feeling that migraine was ‘stealing (their) life away’. People talked of ‘lost days’ and time they could never get back.”
Some individuals expressed their inability to engage in work or study due to the necessity of remaining bedridden for several days during a migraine episode, while others cited cognitive impairment and fatigue hindering their productivity in the workplace.
Among those who managed to work, some relied on acute pain medication to cope, while others considered themselves fortunate to have flexible work arrangements allowing them to adjust their hours during migraine episodes.
Dr. Imlach highlighted that despite nearly half of migraine sufferers experiencing severe disability, there is minimal financial assistance available to them through unemployment or disability benefits. Data from the Ministry of Social Development as of June 2022 revealed that only 0.3 percent of working-age individuals receiving Jobseeker or disability benefits had migraine listed as a disabling condition.
“This is surprising, considering how common migraine is and that the majority of survey respondents reported that migraine negatively impacted their ability to work. In fact, 29 per cent said they either couldn’t work, or could only work part time.”
Dr. Imlach indicated that while migraine is a neurological condition rooted in genetics and currently lacks a definitive cure, many individuals invest considerable resources—be it effort, time, research, or finances—in pursuit of a remedy or methods to mitigate the frequency and severity of migraine episodes.
She further stated that people are eager to understand the origins or catalysts behind an attack and explore various dietary adjustments and limitations. Yet, contemporary research indicates that numerous factors previously believed to trigger migraine episodes—such as specific foods like cheese or chocolate, intense lights, noise, or potent odors—may instead manifest as preliminary indicators signaling an imminent migraine onset.
