Shetland MSP and Scottish Liberal Democrat Beatrice Wishart has welcomed Migraine Awareness Week and joined the Migraine Trust’s call for better migraine care for children and young people.
One in 10 children and young people are affected by migraines, a painful condition with a variety of symptoms such as headaches, sensitivity to light, nausea and affected vision.
A new report from Migraine Trust demonstrates that children often feel left out of their own healthcare and that their care is poor. 90% of children reported migraine made it harder to do their schoolwork, while 76% of education professionals felt their school did not provide resources to help these children.
The Migraine Trust calls for clearer guidance and training for both health and education professionals on understanding and supporting young people impacted by migraine, as well as more resources for their parents and carers.
Pathways and reviews of local migraine care in the NHS should account for the impact on children and young people, and GPs should liaise with schools to ensure children’s conditions are understood.
Responding to the report, Ms Wishart said:
“I know from personal experience how debilitating migraines can be as unfortunately they run in my family.
“The early impact on children can be severe, and they have less treatment options than adults.
“Too often children’s migraines are not understood, resulting in increased disruption to their schoolwork and quality of life.
“We need more tools to support children and young people affected by migraine and to equip adults to better care for them.
“The Migraine Trust has launched a new section on its website to give information and support for children and young people with migraine.
“I encourage teachers, doctors and parents to utilise these resources to help children and young people affected by migraine.”
