The European Headache Alliance (EHA) and the European Headache Federation (EHF) are happy to announce the first Cluster Headache Day, which will take place on March 21, 2016. This day aims to educate and raise awareness of the impact and burden of this disorder with “What’s Under the Hat,” a campaign encouraging patients to share their stories of the impact that headache disorders have on their lives.

The announcement was made at a lunchtime event held in the European Parliament on Wednesday, February 24. It was hosted by Irish MEP (Member of the European Parliament), Nessa Childers and included presentations from the scientific and expert patient perspectives.

“Cluster headache is an abandoned brain disorder due to a lack of medical knowledge,” says Prof. Paolo Martelletti, Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Headache and Pain and Vice President of EHF who was a guest speaker at the event.

Prof. Dimos Mitsikostas, President of EHF, revealed that more than 600,000 people in Europe live with cluster headache with less than 50% seeing a specialist and more than a third of sufferers missing work at a cost of 7 billion euro per year.

What is a cluster headache?

Cluster headaches affect up to 4 in 1,000 people, similar to the incidence of Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Despite being relatively unknown, it is one of the worst pains known to man and unlike migraine it mainly affects men. The word “cluster” refers to a period of time lasting weeks or months, with an increased number of headache attacks associated with seasonal changes and light hours in the day, peaking at the equinox.

For more details about the event, please click here. 

Find out more about our support towards this campaign.