Migraine and literature: a narrative historical review

Description of migraine pain is sometimes difficult for a patient. The simple words reported in the Classification of International Headache Society are not sufficient to explain both the patient’s sense of discomfort and the emotional point of view. We analyzed works by international writers and novelists in the last centuries to explore the connotation of migraine in literature. We evaluated the literary insight of migraine, the description of migraine experience and the therapies proposed in novels, essays and short stories. In literature, migraine has still the negative connotation of an untreatable disease. It is described as a barrier for social, familial, and work activities. In more recent works, new therapies are not mentioned, confirming that scientific improvements both in acute phase and in prophylaxis are not part of the literary cultural mainstream.