Migraine affects approximately 18% of women and 6% of men in the United States (US) and Europe, and more than 10% of the world’s population, accounting for approximately 700 million migraineurs worldwide. It is estimated that there are 38 million migraineurs in the United States, accounting for 12% of the US population, and that 1in 4 households have someone with migraine. In 2016, migraine was determined to be the 2nd leading cause of all global disability, and the 2nd leading cause of all neurological disease burden. These estimates have increased from prior estimates of migraine as the 6th leading cause of all global disability, and headache disorders as the 3rd leading cause of disability worldwide. Migraine accounts for 50% of all neurologic disability and costs more than $20 billion per year with 113 million lost workdays annually. Furthermore, chronic pain in general is the largest contributor to years lived with disability globally, and is associated with tremendous negative impacts on social, economic, and personal function.
The endocannabinoid system involves the central and peripheral nervous system. It is involved in inflammatory and pain processes and plays a role in a multitude of regulatory physiological processes across virtually every organ system. The efficacy of cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain is partly attributed to the endocannabinoid system modulation of the descending supraspinal inhibitory pathways.