Over 8 million people in Poland suffer from migraine, which is the second cause of disability and the first among young women. The disease is generally hidden, however, experts alarm on the occasion of the Day of Solidarity with Migraine Patients, which is celebrated on June 21.
Migraine in Poland
According to the report “The social significance of migraine from the perspective of public health and the health care system” of the National Institute of Public Health – PZH, for migraines or so-called Probable migraine in Poland suffers as many as 8 million people. The actual number of sick people, however, may be even greater.
– Despite the increasingly deeper knowledge about migraine, the information on the number of patients may not reflect the actual situation – says Prof. Wojciech Kozubski, member of the Main Board of the Polish Neurological Society, head of the Department and Clinic of Neurology at the Medical University of Poznań.
According to the specialist, people suffering from migraines still face social misunderstanding. – For fear of stigmatization, they do not report to specialists, which is why the scale of this phenomenon is probably underestimated – he explains.
Migraine remains the second leading cause of disability in the world and the first among young women. During the pandemic, the situation of migraine patients was examined in various countries and their mental condition deteriorated significantly. They complained more often of insomnia, anxiety and depression. More than half of the respondents confirmed the increased frequency of migraine attacks, and 64% patients reported worsening of their disease symptoms. This is also confirmed by Polish patients.
– I asked migraine sufferers in our migraine group on Facebook if the pandemic and lockdown had an impact on the migraine attacks – says Ms Klaudia Pytel, moderator of the Neuropositive with Head group. – Many people said that migraine attacks were more frequent during the pandemic and that pain was more severe. At the same time, working at home helped manage migraine attacks more easily. The sick person can lie down, apply a compress, move to a darkened, quiet room, which would not be possible under working conditions outside the home.
A study conducted by the My Patients Foundation showed that the pandemic limited access to primary care physicians, which was confirmed by almost half of the respondents (49,5%). Lack of contact with their neurologist during a pandemic is reported by the majority (61,5%) of migraine patients surveyed, and more than half (58,7%) admit to overusing pain medications.
– Overexposed and unprofessional or self-treated migraine may increase the frequency of its symptoms, significantly prolong the recovery process in a patient, and above all, the evolution of episodic migraine into its chronic form, where the headache occurs for at least 15 days a month. We deal with such a phenomenon during a pandemic, when patients had limited access to specialist doctors and specialized medications. In foreign studies, it has been shown that episodic migraine has transformed into chronic migraine in as much as 10%. patients – emphasizes prof. Wojciech Kozubski.
Migraine is more common in women
Women most often complain of migraines. – It has been shown that migraine attacks may be associated with fluctuations in estrogen levels and changes in the ratio of estrogen and progesterone levels. The relationship between the mental condition and the frequency of migraine attacks has also been proven – explains the specialist.
She adds that women are the group that is particularly susceptible to the negative impact of limited interpersonal contacts on the mental condition and the resulting mood disorders. – As specialists in neurologists dealing, among others, with migraine, we see a significant negative impact of the pandemic on the condition of our patients – she emphasizes.
In the ‘Beyond migraine the real you’ survey conducted by InSite Consulting in 2019, it was shown that migraine sufferers often do not admit their ailments for fear of stigmatization. In Poland, this was confirmed by as much as 61 percent. respondents.
— Migraine sufferers very often face social misunderstanding, disbelief and lack of acceptance. So they feel guilty and ashamed of their condition – explains prof. Wojciech Kozubski. In this situation, they try to ignore the symptoms, not admitting to a severe headache.
– They hide the disease from their surroundings and do not resort to professional help. Restrictions on access to health care, confinement, isolation and enormous psychological stress during the pandemic could have made this situation significantly worse, he says.
– One of the most important things for us migraine sufferers is understanding and acceptance. There is nothing worse than suffering from a feeling of misunderstanding, sometimes feeling guilty. We are afraid to admit our condition, we hide from the world, even from our loved ones. It is, unfortunately, a sad reality in the migraine community – emphasizes Klaudia Pytel.
author: Zbigniew Wojtasiński / PAP
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