Tackling the perils of unawareness: the cluster headache case

Excerpt

The 21^st of March 2017 has marked a remarkable collective effort to raise public awareness of cluster headache (CH). This campaign has inspired an explosion of initiatives aimed to raise awareness of this devastating, yet neglected condition to the level of other neurological disorders. The collaboration between several stakeholders, namely the European Headache Federation [1], patient support groups such as the Organisation for the Understanding of Cluster Headache (OUCH) in the United Kingdom (UK) [2], the European Headache Alliance (EHA), the European Federation of Neurological Associations [3], the European Brain Council [4], many headache centres led by the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Headache Centre (London, UK) and the La Sapienza University Headache Centre at St Andrea Hospital, (Rome, Italy), Members of Parliament of the European Union and the UK, publishers [5] and the media [6], has provided a unique platform to discuss strategies to tackle the unmet need in CH. These bodies are all in agreement that the emphasis should be on: increasing awareness of CH; advancing the understanding and management of the condition; and ensuring standardised, high-quality care across Europe and the UK. …