Migraine in Australia whitepaper

Migraine is a neurological condition that is estimated to affect  4.9 million Australians. Migraine is characterised by recurrent attacks of moderate to severe headache. Migraine pain is typically pulsating, affecting one side or area of the head. During a migraine attack, patients may experience nausea, vomiting, and sensory sensitivity such as phonophobia and photophobia that significantly affects their lives. Despite its impact, migraine is underdiagnosed and undertreated.

Deloitte Access Economics has prepared a report for Novartis that provides insight into the burden of migraine in Australia.

The key findings include:

• 4.9 million people in Australia suffer from migraine
• 71% of migraine sufferers are women and 86% are of working age
• 7.6% of migraine sufferers experience chronic migraine (more than 15 migraine days per month)
• The total economic cost of migraine in Australia is $35.7 billion. This consists of: $14.3 billion of health system costs; $16.3 billion of productivity costs; and $5.1 billion of other costs
• Migraine also imposes significant wellbeing costs on sufferers.