Loss of Employment, Impact On Family And Relationships Even Greater For Chronic Migraine Sufferers
PHILADELPHIA, July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Union, LLC, released the results of its landmark study "Migraine In America 2012" tonight via a live web conference. This patient survey was completed by over 2,600 migraine sufferers in May and June of this year and represents one of the largest studies of this type ever completed.
"The results of the Migraine In America Study are quite staggering," said Dr. Dawn Marcus, MD, Professor, Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh, "we've known for some time about the physical pain and suffering of migraine, but this study gives us an unprecedented glimpse into the real impact that migraine has on people's lives."
For example, the data showed that among participants in the survey:
- Over 50% report that migraines have negatively impacted their professional development
- Over 25% report that they have lost a job due to their migraines
- Over 40% report that migraines have impacted their relationship with their children
All study results are notably worse for those suffering from chronic migraine, defined as having over 15 days each month with headache symptoms lasting over four hours. For example over 38% of chronic migraine sufferers reported losing a job due to their condition.
The initial data presentation is available at http://migraine.com/mia2012/.
"This is an incredibly rich data set and we have just begun to scratch the surface," said Olivier Chateau, Co-Founder of Health Union, LLC the publisher of Migraine.com the largest and fastest growing online community dedicated solely to migraine, "over the coming months we will continue to analyze the data and will publish new findings on migraine.com."
Migraine impacts an estimated 37 million Americans[1]. Every 10 seconds someone in the United States goes to the emergency room with a headache or migraine, and American employers lose more than $13 billion each year as a result of 113 million lost workdays due to migraine.[2]
Notes to Editors
About Health Union
Health Union, LLC is based in Philadelphia. Its mission is to enrich the lives of those impacted by disease by fostering open and honest interactions about health conditions between and among patients, caregivers, professionals and providers. Harnessing the full power of the Internet, social media and emerging technologies, Health Union aims to help patients make more informed decisions about their healthcare. Health Union does not manufacture, distribute, market or sell any product or service to cure, diagnose or prevent Migraine disease or headaches. To learn more, visit www.health-union.com
[1] US Census State & County Quick Facts. Available at:http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html. Accessed: March 10, 2012.
[2] Migraine Research Foundation. Migraine Fact Sheet. http://migraineresearchfoundation.org/fact-sheet.html. Accessed: May 14, 2012.
SOURCE Health Union, LLC