This volume describes the impact of headache disorders on public health, and their adverse consequences for society. 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.

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. ​

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.