In addition to the personal suffering of migraine sufferers, it is estimated that it costs society between two and four billion euros a year. “A person with migraines cannot go to work,” says ter Horst, who himself suffers from migraines.
Because not all people with migraines go to the doctor, only 250,000 patients are officially registered with their GP. This makes it seem that the group is smaller and that the money for research and treatment is lagging behind. “That’s why I think it’s important to pay attention to this in the House of Representatives,” says ter Horst.
invisible disease
“The downside of migraines is that you can’t see them,” says Vikki Bolsma, who also works as a nurse. “In healthcare, we often run faster for things that are clearly visible.” In addition, migraine sufferers are more likely to be female, and research shows that research, resources, and treatments for women’s conditions are structurally less available than for men.
“When I went to the doctor years ago, the doctor said: ‘I see you are the mayor of Nijmegen. It’s a stressful job, just take paracetamol,’” says ter Horst. But paracetamol doesn’t help with migraines. “That’s the picture we have, but it’s not a headache. It’s a brain disease.”
