[Migraine--a burden for the individual and the society]

According to World Health Organization migraine is ranked among the first 20 disorders in the world that cause significant disability. The economic burden due to migraine is significant; direct costs include visits to general practitioner and emergency department, costs of hospitalization and pharmacotherapy. Indirect costs comprise 2/3 of total costs and include absenteeism from work and costs due to reduced productivity. Reasons for the high economic burden are primarily insufficient diagnosing of migraine, the lack of information in the general population, underdevelopment of healthcare system and non-existence of plans and programms for a systematic approach in the management of headaches. Triptans as a specific and very efficient therapy for migraine are available on the market; studies have shown a high benefit-to-cost ratio when triptans were introduced as an acute therapy of migraine attacks. More attention should be paid to better diagnosis and treatment of headaches, especially migraine. We propose the main aspects for improvement of healthcare for patients with headaches.