Verified on 04/15/2022 by Florine Dergelet, Editor
According to researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), more than half of the world’s population suffers from headaches. According to the results of the study, women are more affected by headaches and migraines than men.
One in six people worldwide suffer from headaches every day
Do you suffer from headaches? You are not alone ! Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have just demonstrated that 52% of the world’s population suffers from headaches at least once a year. To reach this conclusion, the researchers compiled more than 357 studies on the subject between 1961 and 2020.
Published in the Journal of Headache and Pain on April 12, the results of the study reveal that 26% of them describe a tension headache (which is characterized by pressure or tightness in the head), 14 % suffer from migraine and 4.6% from recurring headaches at least 15 days a month. Every day in the world, more than 15% of people suffer from headaches, or one in six people.
Women suffer more from headaches than men
The Norwegian study also reveals that headaches (especially migraines) are more common in women than in men. Indeed, 57.8% of women report suffering from migraine at least once a year compared to 44.4% for men. Each month and for a period of 15 days, 6% of women have a headache against 2.9% of men. According to Lars Jacob Stovner, professor of neurology at NTNU, “cit probably has to do with female sex hormones, and in particular fluctuations in estrogen ».
Headaches, more frequent than before?
While the researchers report that headaches are widespread around the world, they also wondered if they had gained ground since 1961. While estimates show that more and more people suffer from headaches in the world, the researchers do not wish to draw hasty conclusions in view of the strong variations in the figures. However, they encourage scientists around the world to harmonize research to be able to determine, for example, the influence of genetics, stress, light or pollution on our migraines.