Challenges for patients with cluster headache in the MENA region

Well, maybe two months back I have published a paper about the restrictions and the struggles that we have in the MENA region and in Africa, North Africa. And the problem is the delayed diagnosis. In one of my published papers, we had maybe nine years to have the proper diagnosis of cluster headache patients in Egypt, and same applies for the other regions in the MENA region. Also, the constraints, the financial constraints that sometimes we have this diagnosis, and then we are facing the availability of doing imaging or starting the new lines like the anti-CGRPs, like the galcanezumab that have been approved for the episodic cluster headache. Also, the facilities, for the healthcare facilities, for the clinics that are sub-specialized in headache and giving service for the lay people, educating them and diagnosing them as early as we can. So the MENA region have this also cultural and social background, not only the financial issues. So also this may sometimes give the stigma for the patients that they face this headache, whether it’s migraine or cluster headache, as it’s a usual headache. So why should I visit a clinician or have this medical advice? And that’s why we’re increasing the awareness by the campaigns in our countries and collaborating in different countries in the MENA region to just increase the awareness for the general practitioners, for the neurologists, for the other specialists like ENT, ophthalmology and dentistry field to have this more and more knowledge to help the patient in the MENA region to have a better service for the headache in general, not only for cluster headache, for headache in general, even in migraine patients.

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