Carolina Bergan from Skien has tried everything to get rid of the pain. Over 20 days a month she is down for the count with pain and vomiting. Throughout her adult life, she has had chronic migraines. Now she is on the way to becoming disabled. – It is quite tough. There are also so few who understand how hard it is, says the 35-year-old. How many people suffer from headaches in Norway? So far, no one has had an answer to that. The largest population survey on headaches in Norway ever will do something about it. – An enormous social problem Now more than 30,000 adults receive an invitation through Helsenorge.no to participate in the survey. The hope is that the answers can help the doctors to provide their patients with a better offer. Maria Bengtson Argren is a neurologist at Rikshospitalet and will carry out the PopHEAD study. – Headaches are a huge social problem. For the individual patient, it can be an even greater burden because they do not receive recognition for their suffering in society. The neurologist says that they are dependent on finding out how many people are affected in order to find better treatment options. – We will first look at the distribution. How many people have the different headache types in our country? But also how troubled they are. How big a burden is it for them, she asks. Neurologist at Rikshospitalet, Maria Bengtson Argren, carries out the examination. Randomly selected people in her home county, Vestfold and Telemark, are given the opportunity to answer. Photo: Martin Torstveit / news Many people do not know how big a burden it can be for the individual, the neurologist believes. She believes that headaches have been a field that has received little attention in terms of research, follow-up and treatment. – The more we know, the stronger we are. The hope is to be able to shed light on this, so that people who struggle with headaches are less stigmatized. – For women under 50, there is no other disorder that leads to more disability. Young women of childbearing age stand out the most, says Argren. The dream of a cure There are still many unanswered questions related to the diagnosis and treatment of headache disorders. The organization Headache Norway hopes that the population survey can lead to a cure. – That is the dream. We have to have a goal about it. To get some kind of cure, says general secretary Laila Bratterud Mathisen. Secretary General of Headache Norway, Laila Bratterud Mathisen. Photo: Martin Torstveit / news For the mother of two in Skien, it means a lot that the disease will finally be researched on a larger scale in Norway. – We need a better offer. And we need it faster than it is now, says Bergan.
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Norway’s largest survey on headaches and migraines gives mothers of young children hope – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
