A national survey in Norway reported that of 245 neurologists interviewed, 35% said they have had migraine headaches. Of those, 26% said they had experienced a migraine in the past year – double what is reported by Norwegians as a whole. Dr. Karl B. Alstadhaug of Nordland Hospital in Bodo, Norway who led the study believes it’s possible that the general public may actually have higher migraine rates but they are not reported. Alstadhaug and his team believe the migraine rate among neurologists may be a more realistic picture of what is happening in the public as a whole.
In another study of neurologists and migraine, Dr. Randolph Evans, a clinical professor of neurology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston found that approximately half to three-quarters of 220 neurologists interviewed said they had had migraines. The neurologists Evans studied were attending a course on headache – it’s possible the group he sampled were particularly interested in headache, which could consist of some who personally suffer from migraines. Evans is inclined to believe that neurologists may have a higher-than-average risk for migraine due to their work. “It’s possible people in stressful occupations may be more likely to develop migraines,” Evans said. He added that many people would consider their jobs stressful, and it would be interesting to look at migraine prevalence among various occupations….. Reuters Health 7/30/12