Darnitsa has launched the women’s project “Znebol”

Pharmaceutical company “Darnitsa” aims to support women in issues concerning pain and has launched the “Znebol” project, focusing on different types of pain problems in women. The first special project in the series was created together with the women’s online magazine The Devochki and is dedicated to migraine. 

Gender biases exist in various fields, including medicine. According to researches, women wait longer in emergency departments and are less likely to receive effective painkillers than men. *

According to statistics, migraine is more prevalent among women**, that is why it has traditionally been considered a “woman’s disease”. This fact is one of the most important, contributing to the development of stigma and stereotypes that negatively affect those who suffer from this disease. Even now, in the 21st century, migraine is often the subject of silly jokes about performing “marital duty” or the “disease of the aristocrats”.

According to the WHO, the prevalence of headaches among adults (with clinical manifestations at least once in the last year) is about 50%. Between one half and three quarters of people aged 18-65 years worldwide have had a headache within the past year, and more than 30% of them have reported a migraine.

Migraine is a serious neurological disease, the development mechanisms of which are still being studied today. The main symptom of migraine is unbearable headache, which may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fear of light and sound, and every movement of the patient may aggravate his condition.

The peculiarities of migraine in women, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment methods, as well as the stories of famous women leaders suffering from migraine can be found in the special project Darnitsa and The Devochki. Also on the resource you can take a migraine screening questionnaire, which will allow you to suspect migraine if you have a headache.

“Migraine is associated with significant stigma around the world, especially among women. In Ukraine, where historically women have so many responsibilities both within and outside the family, the situation is even worse. The aim of our project is to raise awareness about this neurological condition, encouraging women with migraine to seek care in time, and to make society better understand the problems of people with headaches” , says Lydia Honchar-Cherdakli, candidate of medical sciences and deputy director on medical affairs at the pharmaceutical company “Darnitsa”.

Reference

PJSC Pharmaceutical Company “Darnitsa” was founded in 1930 and is celebrating its 91st anniversary this year. Since 1998, “Darnitsa” has been Ukraine’s leader in the production of medicines in volume terms. The strategic areas of portfolio development are cardiology, neurology and pain management. During 2015-2020, Darnitsa has launched 50 pharmaceutical brands on the market.

* BBC Future investigates for our new series the Health Gap By Jennifer Billock // https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180518-the-inequality-in-how-women-are-treated-for-pain

** Closing the gender gap in migraine research by Michael Eisenstein // https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02867-4

*** Headache disorders, WHO, 2016 // https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/headache-disorders

**** This questionnaire is only a screening tool that can only indicate the nature of the headaches and is not intended to be self-diagnostic. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a doctor. Lipton RB et al. Neurology. 2003;61(3):375-382.

*****The above information is intended solely for dissemination in specialized publications for medical institutions and physicians, as well as at conferences and seminars on medical topics.