Dubai: The exact causes of this condition are unknown, there is no known cure and yet nearly a quarter of us suffer from it - some to a very debilitating degree.

Migraine is the most common type of headache disorder and can severely affect the quality of every facet of life of the sufferer. The condition was the subject of a recent community education event at the American Hospital Dubai which brought together those local people with an interest in the subject.

According to Dr Mohammad Esmail, American Board Certified Neurologist at the American Hospital Dubai, the level of stress he found in the community on arriving in Dubai after 18 years of practising in the US came as a surprise. Speaking at the community event, he said: "I thought there would be more lifestyle stress in the US, but I was surprised at what I found in Dubai; 50 per cent of the patients I see in Dubai have migraines and I see a sufferer almost every day."

Migraine is a very common type of vascular headache which recurs and can last for hours or even days, and can be accompanied by loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and intolerance to light and noise.

The sufferer will have to go to bed in a dark room.