World leaders in the treatment of headache and migraine will set their sights on Hull this week.
Experts from as far afield as the United States and Brazil will discuss the latest headache and migraine treatments and research at the 10th biennial National Meeting on Headache.
Organised by Hull Royal Infirmary’s specialist neurology team since 2005, the event is celebrating its tenth meeting of this kind and has grown from 75 delegates in year one to almost 300 world-leading experts in attendance today.
Across the course of the event, delegates will hear from no fewer than 60 experts in headache and migraine from various UK centres of excellence, including our own, right here in Hull.
The second ‘Vicky Quarshie Memorial Lecture’, a tribute to a former headache specialist nurse from Hull who passed away aged just 48, will be delivered by Professor Rami Burstein from Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA.
Professor Fayyaz Ahmed
From 22 to 24 January, experts will discuss a range of topics including preventative treatments, headache in children, medication overuse, and why women are three times more likely to experience migraine than men.
On Saturday 25 January, there will also be a free half-day session for the public where experts will talk about lifestyle factors which can influence a person’s experience of migraine and offer advice on when to seek help for headaches.
Professor Fayyaz Ahmed, who has worked as a consultant neurologist in Hull for the past 28 years and is internationally recognised for his expertise in headache and migraine, will chair the event as well as delivering a number of the programme’s sessions. He says:
“Hull is a recognised centre for headache and migraine treatment and research, and it’s a pleasure to be able to host and chair such an important, now international, meeting again in Hull for the tenth consecutive time.
“Headache and migraine are surprisingly common. There are thought to be around 190,000 migraine attacks in the UK every day, and estimates by the Migraine Trust suggest that one in every seven adults, and one in ten children, now suffer from this condition.
“The effects of severe headache and migraine are not just painful but can be debilitating, often impacting on a person’s ability to work or lead a normal family life. Research carried out by the Migraine Trust also suggests around one in four people have left a job due to their migraines, and when you consider just how many people the condition is thought to affect, this is a really serious issue.
Migraine and headache can be debilitating
“At the same time, people don’t always know when or how to seek help, or even what types of help might be out there, but we’re keen that people don’t suffer in silence.
“Our ‘Managing your Migraine’ event on 25 January is open to anyone with an interest in this area, helping people to work out when to seek professional help for headache and migraine, and offering tips and practical support with self-management and lifestyle changes which could help people better manage their condition.
“It’s not often that the public are able to put their questions to, and learn from, a range of headache professionals in this way, so we’d encourage anyone who’s struggling with headache or migraine or who wants to learn more about them to come along and join us.”
The ‘Managing your Migraine’ event is open to the public and free to attend on Saturday morning – a full agenda, venue information and details of how to reserve your place can be found on the Migraine Trust website.