National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month takes place in June. Wear a purple ribbon to show your support for migraine and headache advocacy, awareness, education and research.

Migraine is the third most common disease in the world with an estimated global prevalence of 14.7%. In the United States, migraine affects 38 million people. About 85% of migraine sufferers are women. While most people experience attacks once or twice a month, over 4 million people suffer chronic daily migraine. It is an extremely debilitating condition in which headaches are often accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, extreme sensitivity to sound and light and tingling or numbness in the face. Approximately 25% have a migraine attack with an aura, a visual disturbance that lasts less than an hour.

Migraine also affects children. Half of all children who suffer from migraine have their first attack before the age of 12. Boys suffer more than girls, however, the proportion changes in adolescents. Despite being a major public health issue, migraine remains a poorly understood, under-diagnosed and under-treated condition. In fact, over half of all migraine sufferers are never diagnosed and the majority of sufferers do not seek medical care for their pain. Migraine sufferers like those who suffer from other chronic illnesses, experience high costs of medical services, too little support, and limited access to quality care.