Study of migraine and the treatment of acute attacks in industry

Abstract

A simple study of migraine was undertaken in an industrial setting to identify facts about the condition of migraine which had previously been unrecorded in industry. The study was based on a definition of migraine encompassing headache accompanied by visual or gastro-intestinal disturbances. During the period from April 1979 to December 1979 there were 111 separate incidents reported to this department, with 281 working days lost in this period, which would give an average annual loss of 420 working days through migraine. Approximately 6% of the work-force were seen to be affected by migraine. Using a simple treatment it was possible to return the majority of the work-force to the place of work within 1 hour, with no subsequent problem caused to their health, either through migraine or accident.