For children, statistics show that 10% of them suffer from this disease at school age, and the percentage of school absences is twice as high as that of healthy students.
The largest proportion of this disease remains in women, especially after puberty, because every fourth woman suffers from this headache, which is three times higher than in men. Chronic attacks are common in female patients, where scientists attribute its cause to changes in the female estrogen hormone.
Contrary to what many of us think, this disease is more than just a severe headache. It is defined as a chronic neurological disorder, often accompanied by other symptoms, lasting from 4 to 72 hours, during which the patient’s life is literally paralyzed. These symptoms include visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, hypersensitivity to loud noises, light, touch, and smell, and numbness in the feet or face. The disease is more than just physical symptoms, causing psychological symptoms that can be as dangerous as these, such as excessive anxiety, sleep disturbances, and depression.
Despite these facts, migraine to this day remains a disease that is not understood by most people and is not often diagnosed or treated properly. According to the foundation, by 2020, 50% of migraine sufferers in the United States will not be diagnosed, and the majority of patients will not seek the necessary medical care.
As a result, labor productivity continues to decline, costing employees and companies around the world billions of dollars each year. On the other hand, specialists believe that it is possible to curb such a phenomenon if both patients and employers work together to implement the proposed solutions, because one in ten workers now suffers from migraine.
The size of the losses… between absenteeism and “disguised presence”
Based on the above, migraine is the sixth most “debilitating” patient illness in the world. In the United States alone, companies lose 157 million work days each year because of this disease.
Although there is not much recent research on this topic, statistics over the past ten years show that employers in the United States lose approximately $ 13 billion annually due to migraines. This number is even higher in Europe, where losses are estimated at more than $ 32 billion a year. Experts believe that these numbers have increased significantly in recent years.
It is noteworthy that a small portion of these expenses are related to absence from work and the need to take short-term leave, while most of them, equivalent to 89%, are caused by so-called “presenteeism”. And we’re talking about compelling attendance, where employees actually show up for work but are less productive than the average day.
Experiments that find solutions that can save us significantly
After reviewing 26 workplace migraine studies, the monthly Harvard Business Review published a report providing effective advice on how to reduce these losses on both sides. These solutions are not impossible, instead they show that simply spreading the word about this disease can save the patient a lot of suffering.
In a company that bet on an “educational” approach, through educational work conferences and online newsletters, and by encouraging communication with colleagues in the workplace about the disease, the results were not expected, as there was an increase in productivity of 29 to 36 percent.
As for the second experience, he showed success in the diagnosis of the disease, the subsequent referral to the necessary medications, in addition to medical consultations, in which the doctor found out the factors related to lifestyle and nutrition that may lead to onset or aggravation. of migraine attacks. , including stress and flashing lights. Poor posture, some particular smell, food, etc. will greatly increase performance and reduce seizures.
With regard to the work environment or the patient’s environment in general, creating a calm, stimulating and well-ventilated environment where there are necessary rest periods, in turn, limits the negative effects of pain. migraine headaches and increases productivity, which saves the patient. and the employer loses a lot.
