More than one in ten people suffer from high blood pressure or migraine

High blood pressure and migraine were the most common chronic disorders in the Netherlands in 2007. Older people are most likely to suffer from high blood pressure, while women suffer most from migraine. People with high blood pressure are more often treated by a GP or specialist than people suffering from migraine.

Twelve percent of Dutch suffer from high blood pressure

Twelve percent of the Dutch population reported having high blood pressure in 2007. This makes high blood pressure the most common chronic disorder, as it affects nearly 2 million people. Nearly the same percentage suffer from migraine or regular severe headaches. Ten percent of the population suffer from chronic pain in their joints, such as rheumatism and arthritis.

Most common chronic disorders, 2007

High blood pressure correlates with age

The percentage of people with high blood pressures increases in older age groups. Thirty percent of men aged 65 years or older had high blood pressure. For women in this age group the percentage was 38. High blood pressure is slightly more common among women than among men.

High blood pressure, 2005/2007

Migraine sufferers mainly women

Migraine or regular severe headaches are mainly suffered by women in the age group 25 to 44 years. One quarter of them suffered from this complaint. For men of the same age the percentages are lower, but for them too, most of these complaints are suffered in this age group.

Migraine or regular serious headaches, 2005/2007

High blood pressure often treated with drugs

Just over four out of five people with high blood pressure were being treated for this by their general practitioner or a specialist in 2007. For migraine sufferers this was only one quarter. One reason for this may be that drugs for headaches are available without a prescription.

Jan-Willem Bruggink