Migraine is one of the most common types of headache, causing dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light, and a range of other symptoms that can last for several days. An estimated 6 percent of men and 15-17 percent of women in the United States have migraine. Only 3-5 percent of migraine sufferers receive preventive therapy; about half of migraine patients stop seeking care for their headaches partly because they are dissatisfied with their therapy. Migraine is also costly: migraine victims each year lose more than 157 million workdays because of headache pain.

At a NINDS-sponsored briefing on migraine for health, medical, and science journalists, experts will discuss:

• How migraine is often misdiagnosed as sinus or tension headaches.
• How some migraine patients might benefit from biofeedback, relaxation, or other preventive techniques.
• New medications and protocols to prevent and not simply treat migraine headaches.
• New understanding of migraine’s biological mechanisms.

WHO:

Stephen D. Silberstein, M.D.
Conference Co-Chair
Neurology Professor and Director, Jefferson Headache Clinic,
Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA

Richard B. Lipton, M.D. (tentative)
Conference Co-Chair
Professor of Neurology,
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY

K. Michael Welch, M.D.
Conference Panel Leader
Vice Chancellor for Research
University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS

WHEN: Thursday, June 8, 2000
12:15 to 1:15 p.m

WHERE: Bethesda Hyatt Hotel, Susquehanna Room
1 Bethesda Metro Center Bethesda, MD

Interested media not able to attend can access the briefing via conference call with ability to ask questions. Please call Lauren Shaham at (202) 452-9483 for the access number.