Harry Potter and the Miserable Migraines

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And there's more.

Harry was 11 when his headaches started. More than half of the 28 million Americans who suffer from these debilitating headaches start getting them as children or teens.

Hallie Thomas, in an interview withe HealthDay, recalled getting migraines since "I was really little."

In fact, Harry's horrible headaches meet all but one of the ICHD-II criteria for migraine. They include pain often but not always on one side of the head (Harry's headaches originate in the lightning-shaped scar on the side of his forehead); nausea and vomiting (see book reference above to retching); and disabling pain (see reference to wand slipping).

The only criterion Harry doesn't meet is the duration of the headache. Harry's headaches usually last only a few minutes, while Muggle migraines can endure for hours.

But wizards recuperate quickly from illness and injury, the study authors pointed out.

"Harry's quick recovery could be due to his magical powers," Sheftell said in a prepared statement.

Regardless, because of the one missing criterion, the authors give Harry the diagnosis of "probable migraine."

Hallie agreed that "maybe" Harry Potter is getting migraines.

"He talks about searing pain, and sometimes he can't see and stuff," she said. She added that she sometimes can't go out in the sun because her migraines are so excruciating.

According to the study authors, Muggle children and teens with frequent headaches should first be seen by their primary-care physician (Harry saw Madame Pomfrey in the Hogwarts infirmary). If their headaches persist, they should be seen by a specialist.

Treatment programs don't have to include medication and can rely instead on stress management, getting proper sleep and exercise and avoiding triggers.

In Muggledom, triggers can include stress, a change in weather or certain foods.

But Harry's main trigger is He Who Must Not Be Named. Curing Harry's migraines would involve eliminating his arch nemesis.

And that remains to be seen: The final book in the J.K. Rowlings series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, comes out on July 21.

More information

Visit the American Headache Society for more on headaches in children.