Appeal to support Northern Ireland’s 50,000 young people with migraine

It is particularly concerned for the one in 10 children and young people living with migraine and says that not enough is being done to support them.

More than 47,800 children and young people (age 19 and under) in Northern Ireland live with migraine.

A recent report by The Migraine Trust, Dismissed for too long: The impact of migraine on children and young people, highlighted how many schools do not have the knowledge or policies in place to help young people with migraine, and many children feel they are not receiving the right healthcare.

Migraine is a complex condition with a wide variety of symptoms.

For many people the main feature is a painful headache.

Other symptoms include disturbed vision, sensitivity to light, sound and smells, feeling sick and vomiting. The symptoms will vary from person to person and individuals may have different symptoms during different attacks. Attacks may differ in length and frequency too. Migraine attacks usually last from four to 72 hours. Migraine can have an enormous impact on work, family and social lives.

The Migraine Trust launched a new website section for children and young people in September to help them understand and live with their migraine.

However, it says that there are still many more children struggling with migraine that it needs to help. Alongside its wider work to help people with migraine, it has plans to reach and support more children and young people in 2023.

This includes an outreach programme to schools as far too many children aren’t getting the help they need with migraine in school.

Research by the charity has found that this is affecting their education and wellbeing.

As the year ends, The Migraine Trust is asking for support for its work in 2023, which will include new projects to help children and young people with migraine. This support will help it make a real and lasting difference to the lives of people living with migraine in Northern Ireland and across the UK.

Rob Music, chief executive of the charity, said: “Migraine can have a huge impact on a person’s life, and this impact is often even greater for children as it disrupts their education, social lives and can make them feel different or isolated.

"We want to ensure that every young person living with migraine in Northern Ireland and beyond is able to enjoy their childhood fully and to achieve this.

"We are grateful to everyone who donates to our appeal, you will help us support children with migraine in 2023 and continue our wider work of funding research, changing attitudes towards migraine and helping people struggling with this debilitating condition.”

*To find out more visit: www. migrainetrust.org.