Migraine: a disease that is still poorly diagnosed, despite effective treatments. What are today's solutions?

ATTENTION change of amphitheatre : amphi Dumontet, bât. 7 (administrative), campus Triolet, place Eugène Bataillon, Montpellier.

By Anne Ducros, neurologist at Montpellier University Hospital, head of the Migraine and Headache medical team, and professor at Montpellier University.

Very often under-diagnosed, migraine is a disabling condition due to the frequency, duration and intensity of attacks, which can have a major impact on personal, student or professional life. It is the most incapacitating neurological disease in people under 50, and the second most incapacitating in people over 50.

As Professor Anne Ducros, a neurologist at Montpellier University Hospital, who will be chairing the conference, points out: "Despite its high prevalence, migraine is poorly managed, and is the victim of a certain contempt on the part of healthcare professionals, health authorities and sometimes patients themselves. Yet it can easily be diagnosed in just 5 minutes by asking patients the right questions."

Today, there are effective and safe therapeutic solutions to reduce the pain of migraine attacks and reduce their frequency. Research has made considerable progress in understanding the mechanisms of the disease and making available specific, innovative treatments. "But these treatments are not reimbursed in France, a public health scandal that leaves severe migraine patients at a dead end," adds Anne Ducros.

How can you tell the difference between a migraine and any other headache? What happens in the brain during a migraine attack? What are the most effective treatments for migraine attacks? What contraception should a migraine sufferer take? How can I study or work when I have migraines? Anne Ducros will review current knowledge of migraine and answer questions from the audience.

Anne Ducros is a neurologist at Montpellier University Hospital, head of the Migraine and Headache medical team, and professor at Montpellier University. She is a member of the Connectome team at UM's CNRS Charles Coulomb Laboratory. She is also past-president of the Société Française d'Etude des Migraines et Céphalées.
Her research focuses on the genetics of migraine, the links between migraine and stroke, headaches caused by intracranial pressure abnormalities, and the search for therapeutic solutions for severe and refractory forms of migraine and facial vascular pain. See his Instagram account.

The conference will be followed by a coffee break.

If you have any questions about the event's accessibility, please contact the Handiversité department by e-mail.

Conference organized as part of the European Week for the Employment of People with Disabilities. For more information, click here.