Migraine

Migraine is the most common cause of recurrent headaches encountered in clinical practice and the most prevalent neurological condition worldwide (World Health Organization. Atlas of headache disorders and resources in the world. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2011). It affects approximately 18% of women and 7% of men and children, touches one in four families, and is more common than diabetes and asthma combined (Lipton et al. Neurology 77:1905-1905, 2011; Hauser et al. Centers for disease control and prevention, US census bureau, and the Arthritis foundation, 1993). Migraine is consistently in the top ten of the World Health Organization’s most disabling disorders worldwide and is the second only to back pain as the leading cause of missed work days in the United States (World Health Organization. Atlas of headache disorders and resources in the world. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2011). While pain management specialists focus on treating the pain of migraine, migraine is more than a headache; it is even possible to have migraine with little to no pain. Herein, we discuss the diagnosis and treatment of migraine in an era of new and emerging therapies based on the pathophysiology of the disorder.