Gobal headache experts attend Hull conference
‘THE IMPACT CAN BE DEBILITATING’: Professor Fayyaz Ahmed
By Simon Bristow
Global experts in headache and migraine are in Hull this week to discuss pioneering treatments and advances in clinical care.
The UK’s biggest meeting on headache is being organised by the neurology team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust in conjunction with The Migraine Trust, The British Association for the Study of Headache (BASH), the International Headache Society (IHS), and Spire Hull and East Riding Hospital.
More than 300 delegates from across the UK convened at Lazaat Hotel in Cottingham today for the three-day conference.
The conference includes the inaugural ‘Vicky Quarshie Memorial Lecture’ from Professor Cristina Tassorelli, President of the International Headache Society, who will fly in especially from the University of Pavia in Italy. Vicky Quarshie served the community of Hull as a specialist headache nurse for 15 years before she passed away following an illness at the age of just 48.
Delegates will also hear from no fewer than 50 experts in headache and migraine from various UK centres of excellence, including King’s College, London, and Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Professor Fayyaz Ahmed, consultant neurologist at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, is also a treasurer of the IHS and has held various board-level positions within BASH since 2005. He will be among those speaking at the event, which concludes on Saturday with a half-day session for the public.
Professor Ahmed said: “For some time, Hull has been leading the way in the care of people with headache, migraine and other associated neurological disorders. We have a reputation as a major centre for headache research and clinical services, built over the last 20 years, and we are proud to have been organising the biennial Hull BASH Headache Meeting since 2005.
“Headache and migraine are surprisingly common. Estimates by the Migraine Trust suggest some ten million people experience migraine regularly in the UK, and there are thought to be around 190,000 migraine attacks in the UK every day.
“Almost all of us will have experienced headache to some extent, but for those living with more severe forms such as migraine or cluster headache, the impact can be debilitating and have a significant impact on a person’s ability to work or lead a normal family life. That’s why events like ours, to share best practice and research among clinicians and advice with the public, are so very important.”
Among the topics for discussion across this week’s event are preventative treatments; sleep and headache disorder; women, hormones and migraine; and access to support through primary care.
The event is free to attend for healthcare professionals, Wednesday to Friday, and is open to the public to attend on Saturday morning – places should be reserved in advance via The Migraine Trust website.