Saudi's ranks fourth place for the number reported cases of migraines

Moreover, to say you have a headache does not begin to describe this phenomenon. There are tension-type headaches, migraine headaches, cluster headaches, organic headaches and rebound headaches. Headaches can plague young children, even babies. Headaches can stop the strongest and bravest in their tracks. Worldwide the portrait is no different.

Headaches account for 13% of all neurological outpatients. They are the single most common complaints for which people see neurologists and the third most common cause of missed work.

"Headaches come for 'no' apparent reason, early morning headaches, precipitating factors like exposure to sun and family history," according to Dr Hussein Mutwali, Neurology Consultant at Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital in Jeddah "Regionally, the frequency of migraine is highest in Bahrain, and it reduces countries like U.A.E. (especially Abu Dhabi), Qatar, Saudi, Oman and is seen least in Yemen. Vice versa tension headaches are most common in Yemen and less in Bahrain, they are common amongst the expatriates often employed away from their family."

The reason for this pattern depends on a number of social factors and the mental attitude of the local people.

"Saudi main culprits are tension headache (66%) and migraine (22%). The country ranks fourth place for the most reported cases of migraine in the region. Young adults' complaints peak at 30's for Saudis and 40's for non-Saudis," stressed Dr Mutwali. "Three times as many females compared to men are affected. Its onset is usually during childhood or adolescence."

In terms of years of healthy life lost to disabilities, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranks migraine as one of the top twenty causes. Migraines can also seriously undermine the quality of life if not effectively managed.

The pain is often described as an intense pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head, commonly associated with nausea and occasional vomiting and visual disturbances preceding the headache. When left untreated, a migraine typically lasts from four to 72 hours, but the frequency with which headaches occur varies from person to person. The good news is that there are treatments that work.

Individuals who suffer from acute migraine headaches are likely to find relief with commonplace aspirin; according to results of a new study published in the journal Headache. Aspirin is a "rational" over-the-counter (OTC) medicine of choice for people who have migraine, the authors' of the research write. The study corroborates the findings of another study by the winner of the 2007 International Aspirin® Award, Professor Hans-Christoph Diener, a Headache Expert and the Director of the Neurological Hospital at the University of Essen in Germany.

In his study, Professor Diener identified more than 250 different types of headache, beginning with migraine, the most common severe headache. The study supports that about 50 percent of all migraine patients did well when treated with aspirin.