Headache, or cephalalgia, is defined as diffuse pain in various parts of the head, with the pain not confined to the area of distribution of a nerve. Headache is among the most common pain problems encountered in family practice. One epidemiologic study1 found that 95 percent of young women and 91 percent of young men experienced headache during a 12-month period; 18 percent of these women and 15 percent of these men consulted a physician because of their headache.
The direct and indirect costs of migraine have been estimated at approximately $17 billion per year. Missed workdays and medical benefits associated with headache cost American industry approximately $50 billion annually.2