1 Introduction.- PART I HEADACHE and public health 2 The meaning of “headache” in the context of society (overview of headache disorders with societal impact).- 3 Headache-attributed burden (the qualitative components).- 4 Global surveys: WHO’s Atlas of headache disorders and resources in the world.- 5 Global surveys: GBD 2010.- PART II METHODOLOGIES 6 Headache epidemiological studies (a summary of the principles and recommendations with focus on pitfalls).- 7 Quantifying headache-attributed burden (specific measures, such as symptom and disability burdens, including headache yesterday, interictal burden, cumulative burden, willingness to pay; generic measures such as quality of life; HARDSHIP).- 8 Headache, functional impact and environment (ICF). PART III CONSEQUENCES FOR SOCIETY 9 Epidemiology and burden of headache (published studies to 2007 + LTB studies).- 10 Cost (financial cost, including Eurolight).- PART IV SOCIETY'S RESPONSE 10 Political insouciance (the failure to recognize headache as a major cause of public ill-health and societal cost, including messages from WHO’s Atlas of headache disorders and resources in the world).- 11 Responding with the support of WHO (the Global Campaign against Headache).- 12 Societal intervention: headache service organization and delivery.- 13 Societal intervention: headache service quality.- 14 Interventions (effectiveness and cost-effectiveness).- 15 The way forward.
Timothy Steiner is Professor of Medicine (Headache and Global Public Health) in the Department of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway, and Honorary Consultant Physician (headache medicine) at Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust, London, UK. An academic physician, he has worked in headache medicine for over 35 years and is a past-President of the European Headache Federation and past-General Secretary of the International Headache Society. Pursuing his principal research interests in public-health aspects of headache, and working with the World Health Organization, he is the architect and Director of the Global Campaign against Headache.
Lars Jacob Stovner has been professor of Neurology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) since 1995, leader of the Norwegian Headache Society from 1996-1999, head of the department of Neurology at Trondheim University Hospital from 1999-2001, head of the Norwegian Advisory Unit on Headaches from it was established in 2000, deputy leader of the Department of Neuroscience (from 2017 Department of Neromedicine and Movement Science) at NTNU 2007-2009, and leader of the department from 2009 till 2016. He has been a director of the charitable non-governmental organization “Lifting The Burden” which has official relations to the World Health Organisation. From 2007 till 2014 he was co-editor of The Journal of Headache and Pain , which is the official journal of the European Headache Federation.
This volume describes the impact of headache disorders on public health, and their adverse consequences for society. It opens with an overview of relevant headache disorders before describing, qualitatively, how the burdens attributable to these disorders fall upon adults, adolescents and children. In the second section, beginning with a methodological introduction discussing the principles and potential pitfalls of epidemiological studies assessing prevalence, headache-attributed burden and functional impact, the burdens of headache including financial cost are examined quantitatively and in detail. The third section critically reviews society’s response, its inadequacies and the scope for improvement. Topics here include the political failure to recognize the public ill-health and cost that are the consequences of inadequate headache care; the role of the WHO in addressing the problem; headache service organization, delivery and quality; and the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions. The book closes by considering the way forward. This volume contains important messages for primary care and is likely to be of even greater interest to headache specialists and those concerned with public health and health policy.